Assigned readings and their academic relevance

Thomas Paine & the American Crisis

Thomas Paine and the American Crisis

Thomas Paine was a brilliant political propagandist. He devoted his life to the causes of freedom, liberty, and justice and believed in the essential rights and liberties of all human beings, including the right to resist tyrannical authority. These beliefs are evident in The American Crisis, written at the height of the revolution to rally American forces. After its publication, it was very difficult for colonists not to be convinced that separation from British rule was the correct course of action.

Paine's work was directed toward erasing political and social injustices rather than creating new political systems. He argued for the natural rights of man and that the state existed to serve man, not the reverse. "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered" (Paine 637). I find these words inspiring, particularly as our own country faces war and civil unrest today. American troops putting their lives on the line are not of "summer" and "sunshine" -- they are heroes brave enough to endure the harshest of winters. During the era in which the American Crisis was written, men were beginning to question the validity of the fight and the political leader of the day, George Washington. Paine's famous words lifted the spirits of American patriots and helped save the war.

In my opinion, Paine was one of the most important figures of the American Revolution. The American Crisis argued strongly that any monarchy was an unethical institution and that true substance lie in the colonies becoming independent. This incited all classes of people to unite and join the fight for democracy. Many Americans of the day were poor, illiterate and uneducated. Paine was, in many ways, a civil servant presenting an easily understandable translation for the masses of the oppression of British rule.

General Washington and the Continental Army were continually facing defeat in 1776. This eroded the morale of the soldiers. The American Crisis painted a very clear picture of a democratic vision -- a much more useful strategy than trying to motivate troops through orders and tough discipline. Excerpts from publication were often read to troops, instilling feelings of patriotism and encouraging them not to give up their liberty. The work sought to prove the impossibility of reconciliation with England, demonstrate the virtues of an independent government and point out the fallacies in monarchical institutions.