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“In December of 1776, the American army was in crisis. Defeat, cold, hunger and disease had brought the morale of the patriots to an all time low. In this month, a man named Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet entitled The Crisis, Number One. He described the obstacles facing the colonists in their struggle for independence, and attempted to energize the army. Although it was circulated throughout the colonies, Washington ordered it to be read aloud to the defeated soldiers, its real audience. The Crisis was intended to convince those with doubts about the struggle to continue the fight for independence.
Paine wrote The Crisis, Number One in a plain and simple style. It was written to be understandable and persuasive to the common men who constituted Washington’s army. He wanted to unite the Patriots in the fight against Britain. Paine described the British as the ultimate enemy. “Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has the right to not only tax but to bind us in all cases whatsoever; and if being bound in this manner is not slavery, then there is not such a thing as slavery upon earth.” In presenting Britain as a tyrant whose goal was to drive the colonists into slavery, Paine created a compelling argument against her. Any white colonist would feel shocked to be told that he was a slave to Britain.
Paine argues for abandoning class conflicts and joining together in the fight against the British. “It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil or the blessing will reach you all. The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike.” Paine explains to his audience that whoever they are and whatever their class, all will suffer under the rule of Britain and will prosper with independence.
Paine makes it possible for his audience to connect with his own thoughts and feelings. He uses personal stories to move his to audience identify with him. By employing this tactic he leads his audience where he wants them to go. He says, “I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel, against the mean principles that are held by the Tories: a noted one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at his door, with as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with this unfatherly expression, ‘Well! Give me peace in my day.’ Not a man lives on the continent but fully believes that a separation must some time or other finally take place, and a generous parent should have said, ‘If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;’ and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty.” Paine grounded his argument with personal experience. This gave his words have a sense of personal narrative which allowed his audience some connection to them.
Thomas Paine was a brilliant propagandist and a master of persuasion. He knew exactly how to move his audience with his use of poetic and metaphoric images. “America will never be happy till she gets clear of foreign dominion. Wars, without ceasing, will break out till that period arrives, and the continent must in the end be conqueror; for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.” The flame and it’s light is a metaphor for freedom. Paine creates an image that could be understood by everyone. Every colonist at that time burned wood to stay warm. He told his audience that the hot coal of the fire—the dream of independence—would never expire.
Paine argues that the battle for independence is larger than each person’s life. “The heart that feels not now is dead; the blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” If a man feels nothing at this time, and turns away from the fight for freedom, he is a coward. He will be cursed by his children. Paine tells his audience that this fight is much bigger then their own freedom; it is the freedom of their children and their children’s children. In this situation, a person’s action or inaction effects more than his own generation. Future generations will judge him.
Thomas Paine’s methods of persuasion were brilliant. The same techniques he uses are used today. When our government sells the idea of war with Iraq, I hear them make similar statements to those Thomas Paine once made. The freedom and liberty of Americans is threatened. We are fighting against an evil enemy. Our lives and the lives of future generations must be protected. What Thomas Paine said so well, is still being said today.
Thomas Paine was a great writer. Reading The Crisis moved me to think about what I hear on the news today. Two hundred twenty seven years after this document was written, I was able to read it and feel moved by Paine’s words. Just as his audience must have, I was able to connect with Paine’s ideas through his words. In reading The Crisis, I not only gained a better understanding of the situation during the winter of 1776, I knew exactly what Paine wanted his audience to feel. He wanted them to feel anger against Britain, and the need to protect their children. He wanted them to realize that they were a part of something much larger then themselves. He wanted to inspire them to fight on. His writing is timeless because it speaks to the heart. Paine was able to move his audience to action by manipulating their emotions. He spoke about their children. He told them that they would receive the love of men and women after the fight was won. He told them they would be slaves to Britain if they did not continue the fight. Paine did not present his audience with facts or statistics. He told them what they needed to hear to feel something besides the pain of defeat and the cold of the winter. By appealing to their emotions, to their love of their children, and to their love of freedom, he convinced the Patriots to persist in their struggle.”

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