Working class movement library

An exhibition commemorating the great work of an English born activist is currently on show at the Working Class Movement Library in Salford.

Thomas Paine, is an individual well known for his writing and it is believed to have helped change the course of history by encouraging both the American and French Revolutions.

He has popular pieces of literature, which include his original pieces of literature, ‘Common Sense’ and ‘Rights of a Man’ on show.

Paine is known as a man fighting the rights of others as the exhibition goes through a timeline of life, telling the story of his adventures, how he narrowly escaped death and his vital involvement in fighting for the rights of common people.

Tracey, a volunteer at the library spoke about just how the exhibition was able to come to plan. She said: “Many of the items we have of Thomas Paine have been donated, people donate books from their libraries and that why we’ve had the chance to house some of his books”.

The Library had previously hosted an event dedicated to Thomas with a procession to celebrate the history of his bones and his bones being moved from New York to Salford in 1819 after many campaigns with the procession moving around Salford for all to see.

The Library also hosts an exclusive room dedicated to Thomas upstairs. Tracey spoke on the original pieces of work on display in the room. She said:

“We have a newspaper here on display that is about 200 years old, and when you read it, you understand that the times back then are not so different to the times of now, there is still a divide between the rich and poor.”

His work will be on show in the library until late March where an exhibition on the Irish Civil Rights will follow being shown from the 1st April to the 4th June.

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