The Crisis

The word "try" here is meant as a "trial." Men's souls and their wills were being tested during the American Revolution. For most of the war, the American colonists were not winning. In the...

Since I have little to add to the splendid answers given above, I thought I'd do some digging around on the internet and see how this phrase has been discussed by others. Below are some shortened...

In "Crisis Number 1," Thomas Paine tries to convince the average, undecided colonist to support the Patriots in their fight against the British. Many colonists believed an attempt at gaining...

This quote comes from the first of Paine's "Crisis" pamphlets, written in December of 1776 as the Americans fought the British for independence. It was meant to inspire people and shore up the...

In "The Crisis, No.1," Thomas Paine writes 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....

The reason Washington would do this was to raise the morale of his soldiers. The first essay in The Crisis was dated December 23, 1776. This was one of the darkest times in the Revolutionary War....

Although Thomas Paine was not himself conventionally religious, he was a master persuader who knew how to use his audience's beliefs as a way to motivate them. In this essay, Paine uses religious...

Paine's pamphlet was meant to inspire the Colonists in the early stages of as challenging struggle. Essentially, Paine sought to make the argument that early losses will "try" the spirits of the...

Of the lines provided on your list, the one that seems almost certainly to introduce an anecdote is option "b." However, because the information provided is limited, option "a" might be used that...

Paine says that during the retreat over the Delaware, the Continental troops desperately hoped for help from people in the countryside: All their wishes centered in one, which was, that the...

My favorite metaphor from Paine's The Crisis is his reference to Joan of Arc. It reads: All nations and ages have been subject to them. Britain has trembled like an ague at the report of a...

In "The Crisis," Paine directly quotes, or really paraphrases, from the Declaratory Act—passed by Parliament in 1766—when he writes, Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that...

There are a number of audiences for this piece. First and foremost, Paine is addressing supporters of the war. This pamphlet was written in December of 1776, one of the lowest points of the war....

Thomas Paine realizes that the individual states are fiercely protective of their unique identities and are therefore reluctant to engage in any kind of common endeavor. But he also understands...

When Thomas Paine wrote the quote that you have presented here, he meant that the King of England did not have the moral high ground in the dispute with the colonists. He meant that there was,...

I assume that you are asking about the first pamphlet in the series The Crisis. I make this assumption because it is the best-known of the pamphlets and because, in this pamphlet, Paine does...

In "The Crisis No.1," Thomas Paine begins by setting the stakes of the fight for American independence. The first paragraph begins, THESE are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and...

Paine published The American Crisis No. 1, by far the most famous of the pamphlet series, in December of 1776, a time in which American fortunes in the Revolutionary War were at a low ebb. This was...

The Crisis was a series of essays by Paine intended to, in short, rally the Continental troops who had suffered a series of defeats at the hands of the British. The army seemed likely to...

There are similarities between the pamphlet Common Sense and the document known as the Declaration of Independence. Both documents called for independence from Great Britain. Common Sense was...

Regrettably, I had to pare down the question. When you post eight different questions in one, I would only advise you to repost some of the questions so that can get what it is that you need. In...

In the first pamphlet of "The Crisis," Thomas Paine appeals to the masculine pride and patriotism of his reader. He observes that "the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis,...

In both Common Sense and his Crisis series, Thomas Paine takes a particularly harsh view of the Loyalist, or Tory, part of the American population. Throughout his life, Paine tended to see issues...

The first essay in the Crisis series was released as a pamphlet on December 19, 1776. Thomas Paine intended to encourage both the revolutionary troops who were fighting under General Washington and...

To begin, one should observe that the language used by Jefferson (and Congress, since they as a whole also contributed to the Declaration, as did Franklin and Adams individually when those two...

When Paine says this, he means that the time he was in (the second winter of the Revolutionary War) was a very difficult time. In this context, to "try" means to "test." Paine is saying that...

In "The American Crisis, Number One," published in 1776, Paine makes it clear that the best way to defeat the British is for every man who is able to take up arms and join the fight. The...

Please see the following link for the answer to this question: http://www.enotes.com/history/q-and-a/what-thomas-paine-motivation-expression-saying-246503

In your message to me, you said that this question refers to the article written in December of 1776. In this article, the main "program for action" (these words aren't actually used) is for all...

Aldridge writes about how Paine's work is regarded as a political treatise, but actually reads more of exhortations with a "cheerful gloom" tone. Aldridge analyzes the impact that Paine's work...

Both works prove to be persuasive because of the cases made for revolution and the need for change. Jefferson's document argues that there is a natural call for separation from England because of...

Paine's experience as an officer in the army allowed to give credence and credibility to his writing. Through his experience in the army, he was able to listen to the narratives of those around...