In Thomas Paine by Craig Nelson (Penguin Books), Thomas Paine plays checkers in London, circa 1792. On page 222 Nelson quotes Paine's friend and early biographer Thomas "Clio" Rickman:
Mr. Paine's life in London was a quiet round of philosophical leisure and enjoyment....At this time he read but little, took his nap after dinner, and played with my family at some game in the evening, as chess, dominos, and drafts,...
It is common in eighteenth century spelling to spell words that today would be non-standard, thus drafts(sic) for draughts.
A good companion volume to Craig Nelson's Thomas Paine is the The Thomas Paine Reader, edited by Michael Foot and Isaac Kramnick (Penguin Books). Michael Foot (1913-2010) was a long-term member of Parliament, and as Leader of the Labour Party (1980-1983) was Leader of the Opposition to then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Isaac Kramnick (1938-2019) was an American scholar of early Anglo-American politics, and is not to be confused with World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik.
--George Hay
Thomas Paine Plays Checkers
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George Hay
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- What do you like about checkers?: Checkers is a game of pure logic.
- Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
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George Hay
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:41 am
- What do you like about checkers?: Checkers is a game of pure logic.
- Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Re: Thomas Paine Plays Checkers
In Tom Paine And Revolutionary America, author Eric Foner quotes Thomas Paine using a drafts (checkers) analogy for war:
'As early as January 1777, Paine predicted that the British Army would find it impossible to conquer the colonies. "Like a game of drafts, we can move out of one square to let you come in, in order that we may afterwards take two or three for one...."'
A Google search takes me to The Project Gutenberg's Compilation of the Writings of Thomas Paine. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31270/3 ... 1270-h.htm
The drafts (checkers) quote comes from THE CRISIS II. TO LORD HOWE. this is the full checkers quote:
"like a game of drafts, we can move out of one square to let you come in, in order that we may afterwards take two or three for one; and as we can always keep a double corner for ourselves, we can always prevent a total defeat. You cannot be so insensible as not to see that we have two to one the advantage of you, because we conquer by a drawn game, and you lose by it."
Eric Foner in his book, first published in 1976, used The Complete Writings Of Thomas Paine edited by his Uncle, Philip Foner (1910-94) for reference for Thomas Paine quotes. Eric was born in 1943, the same year that Citizen Tom Paine by Howard Fast was first published. Eric Foner wrote a 1976 Bicentennial Thomas Paine book. In 2026 a Semiquincentennial Thomas Paine book was published, Thomas Paine's War by Jack Kelly. The Kelly book focuses on 1776 and the first American Crisis published on 19 December 1776. Common Sense, first published on 10 January 1776, was the figurative blasting cap to the Revolution, and the American Crisis series of 13 pamphlets from 19 December 1776 to 19 April 1783 inspired the Revolution through thick and thin.
--George Hay
"
'As early as January 1777, Paine predicted that the British Army would find it impossible to conquer the colonies. "Like a game of drafts, we can move out of one square to let you come in, in order that we may afterwards take two or three for one...."'
A Google search takes me to The Project Gutenberg's Compilation of the Writings of Thomas Paine. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31270/3 ... 1270-h.htm
The drafts (checkers) quote comes from THE CRISIS II. TO LORD HOWE. this is the full checkers quote:
"like a game of drafts, we can move out of one square to let you come in, in order that we may afterwards take two or three for one; and as we can always keep a double corner for ourselves, we can always prevent a total defeat. You cannot be so insensible as not to see that we have two to one the advantage of you, because we conquer by a drawn game, and you lose by it."
Eric Foner in his book, first published in 1976, used The Complete Writings Of Thomas Paine edited by his Uncle, Philip Foner (1910-94) for reference for Thomas Paine quotes. Eric was born in 1943, the same year that Citizen Tom Paine by Howard Fast was first published. Eric Foner wrote a 1976 Bicentennial Thomas Paine book. In 2026 a Semiquincentennial Thomas Paine book was published, Thomas Paine's War by Jack Kelly. The Kelly book focuses on 1776 and the first American Crisis published on 19 December 1776. Common Sense, first published on 10 January 1776, was the figurative blasting cap to the Revolution, and the American Crisis series of 13 pamphlets from 19 December 1776 to 19 April 1783 inspired the Revolution through thick and thin.
--George Hay
"
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George Hay
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:41 am
- What do you like about checkers?: Checkers is a game of pure logic.
- Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Re: Thomas Paine Plays Checkers
Correction: It is Tom Paine's War by Jack Kelly (Tom not Thomas). Author Jack Kelly knows how to keep a story moving!
Also, I forgot to mention it is from page 140 of Eric Foner's book that the Paine "drafts" quote is from.
Great books all, and my sentimental favorite is Citizen Tom Paine.
--George Hay
Also, I forgot to mention it is from page 140 of Eric Foner's book that the Paine "drafts" quote is from.
Great books all, and my sentimental favorite is Citizen Tom Paine.
--George Hay