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English III American Literature
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A Crisis No. 1
An Argument For War
from A Crisis No. 1
Thomas Paine
1) 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 it now, deserves the love
and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet
we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more
glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is
dearness only that gives every thing its value.
Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange
indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
2) Whether the independence of the
continent was declared too soon, or delayed too long, I will not now enter into
as an argument; my own simple opinion is, that had it been eight months
earlier, it would have been much better. We did not make a proper use of last
winter, neither could we, while we were in a dependent state. However, the
fault, if it were one, was all our own; we have none to blame but ourselves.
But no great deal is lost yet. All that Howe[2] has been doing for this
month past, is rather a ravage than a conquest, which the spirit of the
Jerseys, a year ago, would have quickly repulsed, and which time and a little
resolution will soon recover.
3) I have as little superstition
in me as any man living, but my secret opinion has ever been, and still is,
that God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction, or leave
them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly[3] and so repeatedly sought
to avoid the calamities[4] of war, by every decent
method which wisdom could invent. Neither have I so much of the infidel in me,
as to suppose that He has relinquished the government of the world, and given
us up to the care of devils; and as I do not, I cannot see on what grounds the
king of Britain can look up to heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a
highwayman, or a house-breaker, has as good a pretence
as he
4) I once felt all that kind of anger,
which a man ought to feel, against the mean principles that are held by the Tories[5]: 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. Not
a place upon earth might be so happy as
5) America did not, nor does not
want force; but she wanted a proper application of that force. Wisdom is not
the purchase of a day, and it is no wonder that we should err at the first
setting off. From an excess of tenderness, we were unwilling to raise an army,
and trusted our cause to the temporary defense of a well-meaning militia. A
summer's experience has now taught us better; yet with those troops, while they
were collected, we were able to set bounds to the progress of the enemy, and,
thank God! they are again assembling. I always considered militia as the best
troops in the world for a sudden exertion, but they will not do for a long
campaign. Howe, it is probable, will make an attempt on this city [
6) Quitting this class of men, I turn
with the warm ardor of a friend to those who have nobly stood, and are yet
determined to stand the matter out: I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on
this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your
shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so
great an object is at stake. Let it be told to the future world, that in the
depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city
and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to
repulse it. Say not that thousands are gone, turn out your tens of thousands;
throw not the burden of the day upon Providence[7], but "show your faith
by your works," that God may bless you. 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. 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. My own line of reasoning is to myself as
straight and clear as a ray of light. Not all the treasures of the world, so
far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I
think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my
property, and kills or threatens to kill me, or those that are in it, and to
"bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to
suffer it? What signifies it to me, whether he who does it is a king or a
common man; my countryman or not my countryman; whether it be done by an
individual villain, or an army of them? If we reason to the root of things we
shall find no difference; neither can any just cause be assigned why we should
punish in the one case and pardon in the other. Let them call me rebel and
welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the misery of devils,
were I to make a whore of my soul by swearing allegiance to one whose character
is that of a sottish, stupid, stubborn, worthless, brutish man. I conceive
likewise a horrid idea in receiving mercy from a being, who at the last day
shall be shrieking to the rocks and mountains to cover him, and fleeing with
terror from the orphan, the widow, and the slain of
7) There are cases which cannot be
overdone by language, and this is one. There are persons, too, who see not the
full extent of the evil which threatens them; they solace themselves with hopes
that the enemy, if he succeed, will be merciful. It is the madness of folly, to
expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where
conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as
murderous as the violence of the wolf, and we ought to guard equally against
both. Howe's first object is, partly by threats and partly by promises, to
terrify or seduce the people to deliver up their arms and receive mercy. The
ministry recommended the same plan to Gage[8], and this is what the tories call making their peace, "a peace which passeth all understanding" indeed! A peace which would
be the immediate forerunner of a worse ruin than any we have yet thought of. Ye
men of
8) I thank God, that I fear not. I
see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well, and can see the way out
of it. While our army was collected, Howe dared not risk a battle; and it is no
credit to him that he decamped from the White Plains, and waited a mean
opportunity to ravage the defenceless Jerseys; but it
is great credit to us, that, with a handful of men, we sustained an orderly retreat
for near an hundred miles, brought off our ammunition, all our field pieces,
the greatest part of our stores, and had four rivers to pass. None can say that
our retreat was precipitate[10], for we were near three
weeks in performing it, that the country might have time to come in. Twice we
marched back to meet the enemy, and remained out till dark. The sign of fear
was not seen in our camp, and had not some of the cowardly and disaffected
inhabitants spread false alarms through the country, the
Copyright thiesmeyer.net 2014
[1] Impious Adj. Not showing
respect or reverence (esp. to God)
[2] Howe
General Sir William Howe; a particularly ruthless British General Commander
in Chief of all British forces in the US from 1775-78
[3] Earnestly Adv. Showing intense conviction
[4] Calamities N. Disaster; distress
[5] Tories N. Supporters of British rule (opp. Whigs)
[6] Whig N. Supporters of colonial independence
[7] Providence N. The protective
care of God
[8] Gage Thomas Gage; A British General; was responsible for
quartering British soldiers in the New York area after pulling them from the frontier
for reinforcements
[9] Hessians German mercenaries (soldiers of fortune)
[10] Precipitate Adj. Done suddenly or without much consideration