Robert Treat Paine -- named Thomas Paine at birth -- had his name changed to that of his father, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. (NOTE: The original Thomas Paine had fallen out of favor with the public later in his life.) Robert Treat Paine wrote a song: Adams and Liberty . It was perhaps the most popular political song of its era, and was even republished in Great Britain. It was one of many songs sung to the tune of the English song To Anacreon in Heaven . A later, now more famous, The Star-Spangled Banner . This poem/song is, in its own right, quite a commentary on the promise and character of the new nation. (Try singing it to yourself in the melody mentioned above.) ODE. ADAMS AND LIBERTY. Robert Treat Paine (1773-1811) Written for, and sung at the fourth Anniversary of the Massachusetts Charitable Fire Society, 1798. 1 Y E sons of Columbia, who bravely have fought, For those rights, whi...
Scott Vanatter