Thomas Paine and the Roots of Early Labor Unions

The Thomas Paine Historical Association is proud to announce a May Day event with our Board Member Paul Myles. Myles will discuss his book, Thomas Paine and the Case of the Officers of Excise, and how Paine’s 1772 pamphlet emerged from a nationwide campaign by thousands of poorly paid excise officers seeking reform—what was arguably the first organized national labor movement within the British state and a precursor to modern trade unionism. The pamphlet exposed systemic corruption rooted not simply in individual vice, but in structural poverty and administrative failure, linking the welfare of public servants directly to the health of government itself.

By situating Paine’s early development within the realities of bureaucracy, patronage, corruption, and political debate, this study challenges longstanding biographical myths and presents a new understanding of how radical ideas emerge from practical experience. It reveals The Case of the Officers of Excise as a milestone in the history of labor organisation, public administration, and democratic thought.

Drawing on newly uncovered archival evidence (including lost petition signatures, Treasury records, and Excise minute books) Myles reconstructs Thomas Paine’s career as a government officer and reveals how his experiences inside Britain’s largest revenue-collecting institution shaped his political ideology. Set against the turbulent political landscape of Britain under George III, the event will also explore Paine’s formative years in the politically vibrant town of Lewes and the intellectual influence of the provincial press. These experiences explain Paine’s remarkable transformation from minor civil servant to revolutionary author within a few short years, reflecting his close relationship to Benjamin Franklin and departure for America.

Provocative, meticulously researched, and rich in historical detail, this book restores a forgotten chapter of both Thomas Paine’s life and Britain’s political history—one whose implications still resonate today. Join Paul to find out how his research unfolded and the surprising details that were revealed.

Paul Myles was a director of The Thomas Paine Society UK which merged with the TPHA last year. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine as a psychologist, which he currently teaches at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and is a visiting research fellow in Intellectual History at the University of St. Andrews. Paul recently designed and mounted a 23-poster exhibition in Lewes Railway Station about Thomas Paine and General Thomas Gage and their involvement in the American Revolution. marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He also produced a second edition of Thomas Paine in Lewes 1768- 1774 with additional essays in 2020. Both titles are available online in print and as ebooks on Amazon and KoBo.

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