Editing Thomas Paine (section)

===Criticism of George Washington===
Upset that President Washington, a friend since the Revolutionary War, did nothing during Paine's imprisonment in France, Paine believed Washington had betrayed him and conspired with Robespierre. While staying with Monroe, Paine planned to send Washington a letter of grievance on the president's birthday. Monroe stopped the letter from being sent, and after Paine's criticism of the [[Jay Treaty]], which was supported by Washington, Monroe suggested that Paine live elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Thomas Paine|author=Craig Nelson|page=[https://archive.org/details/thomaspaineenlig0000nels/page/291 291]|isbn=978-0670037889|year=2006|url=https://archive.org/details/thomaspaineenlig0000nels/page/291|publisher=New York: Viking}}</ref>

Paine then sent a stinging letter to Washington, in which he described him as an incompetent commander and a vain and ungrateful person. Having received no response, Paine contacted his longtime publisher [[Benjamin Franklin Bache (journalist)|Benjamin Bache]], the [[Jeffersonian democrat]], to publish his ''Letter to George Washington'' of 1796 in which he derided Washington's reputation by describing him as a treacherous man who was unworthy of his fame as a military and political hero. Paine wrote that "the world will be puzzled to decide whether you are an apostate or an impostor; whether you have abandoned good principles or whether you ever had any".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Founders Online: To George Washington from Thomas Paine, 30 July 1796 |url=http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-20-02-0329 |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=founders.archives.gov |language=en}}</ref> He declared that without France's aid Washington could not have succeeded in the American Revolution and had "but little share in the glory of the final event". He also commented on Washington's character, saying that Washington had no sympathetic feelings and was a hypocrite.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Thomas Paine|author=Craig Nelson|pages=[https://archive.org/details/thomaspaineenlig0000nels/page/292 292–294]|isbn=978-0670037889|year=2006|url=https://archive.org/details/thomaspaineenlig0000nels/page/292|publisher=New York: Viking}}</ref>