Editing Thomas Paine (section)

=== Possible involvement in drafting the Declaration of Independence ===
[[File:Roger Sherman Copy of the Declaration of Independence.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|The [[Committee of Five]] working draft of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], dated June 24, 1776, copied from the original draft by [[John Adams]] for [[Roger Sherman]]'s review and approval]]
[[File:Sherman copy inscription referencing Thomas Paine.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Inscription on reverse of Sherman Copy of the Declaration of Independence referencing "T.P." during the drafting process]]While there is no historical record of Paine's involvement in drafting the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], some scholars of Early American History have suspected his involvement. As noted by the Thomas Paine National Historical Association, multiple authors have hypothesized and written on the subject, including Moody (1872), Van der Weyde (1911), Lewis (1947), and more recently, Smith & Rickards (2007).<ref name=":1" />

In 2018, the Thomas Paine National Historical Association introduced an early draft of the Declaration that contained evidence of Paine's involvement based on an inscription of "T.P." on the back of the document. During the early deliberations of the [[Committee of Five]] members chosen by Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence, [[John Adams]] made a hastily written manuscript copy of the original draft of the Declaration of Independence on June 24, 1776, known as the Sherman Copy. Adams made this copy shortly before preparing another neater, fair copy that is held in the Adams Family Papers collection at the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Sherman copy of the Declaration of Independence is one of several working drafts of the Declaration, made for [[Roger Sherman]]'s review and approval before the Committee of Five submitted a finalized draft to Congress. The Sherman Copy of the Declaration of Independence contains an inscription on the back of the document that states: "A beginning perhaps-Original with Jefferson-Copied from Original with T.P.'s permission." According to the Thomas Paine National Historical Association, the individual referenced as "T.P." in the inscription appears to be Thomas Paine.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Thomas Paine National Historical Association |url=https://thomaspaine.org/pages/resources/sherman-copy-di.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403151531/http://www.thomaspaine.org/aboutpaine/sherman-copy-di.html |archive-date=April 3, 2021 |access-date=2021-03-17 |website=www.thomaspaine.org}}</ref>

The degree to which Paine was involved in formulating the text of the Declaration is unclear, as the original draft referenced in the Sherman Copy inscription is presumed lost or destroyed. However, John Adams' request for permission of "T.P." to copy the original draft may suggest that Paine had a role either assisting Jefferson with organizing ideas within the Declaration, or contributing to the text of the original draft itself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373951532_Uncovering_the_Trail_of_Communication_of_the_Committee_of_Five_Roger_Sherman's_Draft_Copy_of_the_Declaration_of_Independence|title=(PDF) Uncovering the Trail of Communication of the Committee of Five: Roger Sherman's Draft Copy of the Declaration of Independence}}</ref>