Movie Screening & Discussion – To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 02/05/2019
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location
TPUUF Sanctuary

Categories


Witness the spark that ignited the American Revolution. Actor Ian Ruskin brings his acclaimed one-man play To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine to the screen. He has performed live around the world, including a Los Angeles run and most recently at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

No other Founding Father was anywhere close to Thomas Paine in his vision of democracy. Paine’s book Common Sense sold hundreds of thousands of copies and everybody read it or had it read to them. It was the spark that ignited the American Revolution and remains in print today over 200 years later. He helped shape our national character and inspires us to be better guardians of that legacy. Paine based his beliefs on one simple yet powerful idea, “justice for all.” This call resounds in America now, echoing the words of Martin Luther King: “the moral arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.” Today’s political environment, while never specifically mentioned in the play, reminds us to revisit Paine’s words with his calls for the end of slavery and voter suppression, and for a government that cares for its citizens and provides equality for women. In this time of division and despair, we need, more than ever, to hear Paine’s words.