© Copyright
2007 New Jersey Press Foundation.
All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
By definition, the purpose
of newspapers is to educate, to inform and to
entertain.
We hope you will find this
story of a courageous young immigrant to America
to be all of those things ... and more.
Thomas Paine: An
American Patriot is sponsored for use by all
daily and weekly newspapers in Pennsylvania and
New Jersey by the New Jersey Press Foundation
and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
Foundation.
This serialized
eight-chapter story was published
in newspapers for eight weeks, starting on or
before September 17, 2007, Constitution Day. That is a
federally mandated day for students throughout
the nation to study the U.S. Constitution.
The focus of this serialized
version of the Thomas Paine biography is how his
writing influenced the Declaration of
Independence, the United States Constitution and
its first 10 amendments - the Bill of Rights.
The historical content of Thomas
Paine: An American Patriot is factual;
however, some of the characters and their
dialogue are fictional.
Beyond the chapters of this
story, we are offering exercises and activities
designed to bring to life the story of the Thomas
Paine (1737-1809).
The Guide for Teachers,
Students and Families can be found in the Table
of Contents on this Web site.
This story of Thomas Paine
and the online educational guide support specific
parts of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Departments of Education curriculum guidelines
for social studies and language arts.
Thomas Paine: An
American Patriot is based on a manuscript
written by Mae Kramer Silver, president of the
Thomas Paine Society of Bordentown, N.J., and
adapted by the New Jersey Newspaper Foundation
for school children to read as they study the
U.S. Constitution and American history.
Return to the Table of Contents
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