Linda Killian will reveal the relationship between Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine and their shared democratic vision in her upcoming book. In advance of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding and with the disastrous current state of American politics there has never been a more important moment to consider the road not taken – Franklin and Paine’s more democratic vision for American government.

Both Franklin and Paine were democratic political and social reformers on the cutting edge of revolutionary ideas – far more progressive, anti-authoritarian and populist than the other Founders. Political soul mates, they were among the first to fervently articulate and advocate for the principles of freedom, democracy, equality and opportunity. Paine and Franklin are as responsible for the creation of the American identity as any of the Founding Fathers. Paine through his words and Franklin through statesmanship advocated and fought for an independent American republic in which all free men regardless of wealth or class would be equal and have a role in governing.

The democratic principles Franklin and Paine shared along with their ideas for how American government should be structured have incredible relevance today. At a time when Americans are questioning the stability of this nation’s democratic structures and wondering what comes next, Franklin and Paine’s story has a great deal to offer about a different, more democratic, vision for governing the United States at its founding moment. Recently the phrase “A republic if you can keep it” has been on the lips of many political leaders and Americans worried about this nation’s future stability and democratic institutions. It was Franklin who first uttered those words after the Constitutional Convention.

Their story is one of the most important not only of the Revolution, but in all of American history.