Good article. As to the Paine quote, normally I do not try to correct any grammer/spelling here, but if we are to “pass it on” the apostrophe should be removed from “it’s”. It’s = it is.
Was Thomas Paine refering to the British government, or did he have ANY government in mind ?
His use of the word “patriot” seems to tell me that he was referring to the British government.
‘Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or less affected even to the end of time, by the proceedings now. Now is the seed-time of Continental union, faith and honour. The least fracture now will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on the tender rind of a young oak; the wound would enlarge with the tree, and posterity read in it full grown characters.