Even as the ink began to dry on the Declaration of Independence
proclaiming a break from the tyranny of European-style government, a
faction began plotting to re-forge the chains and re-establish Europe in
the new world. When Thomas Paine returned to the United States in 1802
after a decade and a half abroad, he saw the leftover effects of a
presidential administration who didn't trust the people to exercise the
blessings of liberty appropriately. And so he wrote a series of eight
letters, seven of them in fairly quick succession, with his thoughts
about revolution, liberty and the state of the young nation he helped
create. These letters remain relevant to this day.