00                         HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 13                                                                        
01 Relating to the recognition of January 29 as Thomas Paine Day.                                                          
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:                                                                         
03       WHEREAS Thomas Paine was a principal leader in America for independence and                                     
04 liberty, was the peer of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John                                   
05 Adams, James Madison, and James Monroe, and was one of the founding inspirers of the                                    
06 United States of America; and                                                                                           
07       WHEREAS Thomas Paine, in his classic and influential essay, "Common Sense,"                                     
08 raised the call for independence from Britain and for a democratic form of government based                             
09 on equal rights for all and set the blueprint for the establishment of our constitution, bill of                        
10 rights, and law; and                                                                                                    
11       WHEREAS Thomas Paine supported the American Revolution through his                                              
12 inspirational series of tracts entitled "The American Crisis," through his personal service in                          
13 the army and in government office, and by the unparalleled contribution of his personal funds;                          
14 and                                                                                                                     
15       WHEREAS Thomas Paine was among the earliest writers publicly to denounce                                        
16 slavery and other human rights abuse, to advocate equal rights for women, to petition for                               

01 improved wages and conditions for workers, to propound universal free education for all boys                            
02 and girls, and to call for government financial support for the needy and the elderly; and                              
03       WHEREAS Thomas Paine, in his abundant writings, opposed not only political                                      
04 tyranny but also tyranny over thought and expression; and                                                               
05       WHEREAS Thomas Paine's reasoned yet passionate writing set the course of                                        
06 America for democracy, and his life and work continue to inspire peoples the world over who                             
07 seek liberty and democracy;                                                                                             
08       BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives designates January 29, the                                     
09 anniversary of the birth of Thomas Paine, as Thomas Paine Day, in honor of Thomas Paine's                               
10 indelible contributions to liberty, democracy, and civic engagement; and be it                                          
11       FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives urges the citizens and                                       
12 residents of the state to take note of this day named in honor of this visionary thinker, Thomas                        
13 Paine, who was central to the establishment of our nation, the man who was English by birth,                            
14 French by proclamation, and American by choice.