Summary Of Thomas Paine The American Crisis

In his meticulously crafted document “The American Crisis”, Thomas Paine, author of multiple important American papers and secretary to the Committee of Foreign Affairs, cleverly articulates and emotionally influences the soldiers and citizens of the American colonies to convince them to keep fighting even through the relentless winter and argues that everyone who wants freedom for themselves should have to join the fight for it. He establishes credibility through recalling personal experiences, as well as comparing ideas that are alike to emotionally persuade the audience, to craft an inescapably compelling piece of literature. Paine establishes his credibility throughout the document by reciting his own personal experiences in the war. Paine recalls the times at Fort Lee when he “marched with them to the edge of Pennsylvania”, the time that they “made their way through some marshy grounds up to the town of Hackensack”, and the time that they “stayed four days at Newark”.
Therefore, Paine is able to make claims like, “I dwell not upon the vapors of imagination; I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as A, B, C, hold up truth to your eyes”. Because of Paine’s established credibility at this point in the paper, this quote is also therefore credible, as now the reader knows that he really is showing them the truth and saying the situation as it is. Paine was a very skilled writer and always made sure that his audience knew he was a credible source. Paine compared ideas about the war to scenarios in life to make the audience more emotionally charged by the