The American Crisis (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

By Thomas Paine and Andrew S. Trees

“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 for it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” — The American Crisis December 23, 1776

 

The pen of Thomas Paine was one of the most powerful weapons Americans possessed in their struggle for independence. The American Crisis played a key role in per­suading ordinary people to embrace the American Revolution and to remain true to that cause. The pamphlets comprising this volume bluntly denounced Great Britain’s constitution, its monarchy, and its empire and reminded citizens why they were undertaking such an arduous struggle. Our political rhetoric and indeed our political culture still show the imprint of Paine’s galvanizing words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Release date: Mar 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781411434974

Thomas Paine

English-born Thomas Paine left behind hearth and home for adventures on the high seas at nineteen. Upon returning to shore, he became a tax officer, and it was this job that inspired him to write The Case of the Officers of Excise in 1772. Paine then immigrated to Philadelphia, and in 1776 he published Common Sense, a defense of American independence from England. After returning to Europe, Paine wrote his famous Rights of Man as a response to criticism of the French Revolution. He was subsequently labeled as an outlaw, leading him to flee to France where he joined the National Convention. However, in 1793 Paine was imprisoned, and during this time he wrote the first part of The Age of Reason, an anti-church text which would go on to be his most famous work. After his release, Paine returned to America where he passed away in 1809.