The American Crisis
Winter 1776 was a time of need in the colonies, considering Philadelphia and the entire rebel American cause were on the verge of death and the revolution was still viewed as an unsteady prospect.The opening lines are as follows:[7] 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 his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.Paine brought together the thirteen diverse colonies and encouraged them to stay motivated through the harsh conditions of the winter of 1776.Washington's troops were ready to quit until ordered by Washington to be read aloud Paine's Crisis paper and heard the first sentence, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”[5] The pamphlet, read aloud to the Continental Army on December 23, 1776, three days before the Battle of Trenton[citation needed], attempted to bolster morale and resistance among patriots, as well as shame neutrals and loyalists to support the cause: Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.Along with the patriotic nature of The American Crisis, the series of papers displayed Paine's strong deist beliefs,[8] inciting the laity with suggestions that the British are trying to assume powers that only God should have.Paine maintains a positive view overall, hoping that the American crisis could be resolved quickly "for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.Paine encourages the colonists to value victory and its consequent freedom because “the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”—“what we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly,” he notes, and “ it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”[6] Crisis No.The first Crisis pamphlet opens with the famous sentence, "These are the times that try men's souls,"[16] and goes on to state that Great Britain has no right to invade the colonies, saying that it is a power belonging "only to God.Paine encourages the colonists to value victory and its consequent freedom because “the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”—“what we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly,” he notes, and “ it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”[6] Crisis No.Paine makes plain his judgment that Howe was but a sycophant of George III: "Perhaps you thought America too was taking a nap, and therefore chose, like Satan to Eve, to whisper the delusion softly, lest you should awaken her.Paine also sheds light onto what he felt the future would hold for the emerging country, "The United States of America, will sound as pompously in the world, or in history [as] the Kingdom of Great Britain; the character of General Washington will fill a page with as much luster as that of Lord Howe; and Congress have as much right to command the king and parliament of London to desist from legislation, as they or you have to command the Congress.