History Talk at the FDR Presidential Library: "Thomas Paine, FDR and the Power of Words in Turbulent Times"

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum presents a conversation with author Harvey J. Kaye titled “Thomas Paine, FDR and the Power of Words in Turbulent Times.”

Through writings like Common Sense — and words such as “The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth;” “We have it in our power to begin the world over again;” and “These are the times that try men's souls” — Thomas Paine not only turned America's colonial rebellion into a revolutionary war but also articulated an American identity charged with exceptional purpose and promise.

In just under three decades of public life, Franklin D. Roosevelt rose to become one of the greatest orators and leaders in American history. As the longest-serving U.S. president, he guided the nation through two of the greatest challenges of the 20th century — the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Fascist threat of the 1940s — and radically transformed American public life. FDR's words inspired and encouraged Americans to remember who they were and what they were capable of accomplishing — the words that helped turn a generation of Americans into the Greatest Generation.

Registered attendees can visit the Library's new exhibition, “Declaring the Revolution: America's Printed Path to Independence,” free of charge before the program, from 4–6 p.m. 

CLICK HERE to complete the required registration. The event will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Center.