There were multiple speeches and pamphlets that were given during the Age of Reason. During the Age of Reason the colonist were fighting for freedom from the British. Also during this time period people started to question their beliefs and way of life. The variety of different religions created during the Age of Reason was the Puritans and Deism. In Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Crisis No.1” ethos is the most persuasive technique being used because he is able to relate to the patriots and convince the colonist to fight for their rights.
Appease and Deceit Shall you die for freedom, or appease the tyrannical rulings for yourself and future generations? During the Revolutionary period of American history, writers such as Thomas Paine and Patrich Henry wrote persuasive and motivational texts to ignite the fire to fight within America. Patrick Henry presented his coveted speech at the Virginia convention on March 23, 1775, in front of lawmakers to persuade them to take action against the growing British military threat with their own military. Approximately one year later on Christmas eve of 1776, Thomas Paine’s essay, “The Crisis”, was presented to soldiers to boost their morale after a difficult defeat.
Give them liberty of give them death! In 1773, Thomas Paine wrote “The American Crisis”, an essay designed to persuade the colonists to separate from Britain. In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his “Speech in the Virginia Convention with the same idea. Paine and Henry wanted to persuade the colonists to stand up for their freedom and basic human rights against Britain. The writings of Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry both use metaphors, include rhetorical questions, and serve the same purpose.
Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected, and in the Event of which, their Affections are interested (Paine, 1776)”. Thomas Paine disagrees with the British government and the way they handling business he encouraged Americas to declare their independence. The Declaration of independence was a documented created by Thomas Jefferson that announced the split from the colonies and Great Britain, it. The Declaration of Independence states “we hold these…all men are created equal...with certain unalienable rights...that when any form of government becomes destructive... It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it (Jefferson, 1776)”.
“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind” (Paine 1). With the Revolutionary War beginning in 1775, and the publication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, only a year later, this statement was widely recognized and addressed the issue at hand: the fight for independence. According to Paine’s assertion, America’s desire for peace and freedom is a basic necessity of life; it is what all men desire. Despite this innate thirst for liberty, many residents of America’s thirteen colonies were fearful of Great Britain, and because of this fear, complied with Great Britain’s every whim. Consequently, most colonists were hesitant to fight against the mother country for independence.
Common Sense vs. Plain Truth The battle for independence in America during 1776 was indeed a complex issue requiring the involvement of intellectuals to air their own views regarding the best move that British colonies could make toward gaining independence. At the time, two famous individuals, Thomas Paine and James Chalmers, appeared disagreeing to matters concerning the giant step of gaining independence from the central government in Britain. While Thomas Paine was a patriot who wrote Common Sense with the intention of enlightening Americans the greater benefit they would gain by separating from British rule, James Chalmers who wrote Plain Truth was a loyalist to the British rule and saw it as a wrong move and a beginning for a lot of problems.
The only way to resolve a problem is to act on it. This message is very crucial in both The American Crisis and The Declaration of Independence. In The American Crisis,Thomas Paine's goal was to rally the people in the colonies and persuade them to fight England for Independence. In The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson elucidates the reasons on why it is in the most preeminent interest of the colonies to become independent. Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson use ethical appeal, parallelism, and emotional appeal in The American Crisis and The Declaration of Independence to show the theme to the reader that the only way to achieve a goal is to fight to achieve it.
Paine is against America having a connection with Britain and a single person having power. As Paine expresses, King George III is not and should not be able to be in power of the colonists because mankind is created to be equal and therefore kings should be “disapproved by nature” (Paine 217). Not only does Paine express his anger at the topic of a ruler for all, he also voices that America is connected to whatever Britain does and whatever problems Britain has: implying that America has no say what so ever under Britain (Paine 218). Paine is suggesting that Britain is not only hurting but also is subordinating America and its colonies, so a declaration of independence is in need.
In his document, The Crisis, Number 1, Thomas Paine argues that the American colonists should go and fight for the freedom that they want. Thomas Paine supports this cause by explaining to the colonists that they should have that same mind set no matter what it is. Paine’s purpose is to persuade with emotion in order to get the colonists to feel the need to go and fight for the freedom of the developing country against the British. Thomas Paine uses a formal tone to engage with the emotions of the colonists using rhetorical devices. Paine in his writing likes to use a lot of charged words throughout his writing.
One of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet, “Common Sense”, addressed a response to the American Revolution. Paine’s purpose for writing the piece was to convince the colonists to declare independence from Great Britain. He adopts a patriotic tone, explaining the advantages of and the need to proclaim independence from a tyrannical country. Paine also utilizes multiple rhetorical strategies, and any means necessary, to persuade his audience to share in his beliefs. With the use of constructed argument and rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos and pathos, as well as diction and syntax, Paine is able to present the argument that the United States should strive for its independence from England.
Before this many Colonists did not know of the harsh injustices done by the British. They also did not believe that the cause for revolution was urgent. Thomas Paine showed them that the cause was urgent by explaining the wrongs the British had committed and why King George was a tyrant. He also showed them that America did not need the British Empire 's protection. This quote shows his reasoning “Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.”
It was extremely important for Paine to persuade the colonist to continue the war for American independence. He used pathos by using a parent’s love for their children against them to convince the army to continue on with the war. By way of example, when Paine is talking about a tori and patriotic father “finished with this unfatherly expression ‘Well! Give me peace in my day…’ 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 enough to awaken every man to duty” (Paine 109).
In the winter of 1776, during American Revolution, the still young America faced three major dilemmas: their seemingly imminent defeat, the moral debate between the Whigs and the British loyalists, and the panic and confusion of the American public. In efforts to settle the three American dilemmas, Thomas Paine wrote The Crisis No. 1 in December of 1776. In his work, Paine aimed to calm the American public and convince them to stand up to the British, and turn the war into an American victory. Paine was very successful in this, and his paper was proclaimed as one of the most persuasive works of the American Revolution. Paine’s
Thomas Paine’s The Crisis does an excellent job of exemplifying the usage of the colonist’s feelings prominently in the content. One of Paine’s purposes in writing such a pamphlet is to convince the colonial Americans that they must not be cowardly by supporting British rule. Throughout his pamphlet, this ideal is displayed in an extremely pronounced manner, with a considerable example in the first paragraph: “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will… shrink from the service of this country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of every man and woman.” (Paine 331).
Thomas Paine, a local pamphleteer in the pre-Revolutionary War era, wrote a convincing pamphlet to any colonists who were not already supporting the war for independence from Great Britain. In his argument, Paine uses rhetorical strategy, an emotional aspect, and divine revelation towards the citizens to create a very moving, passionate, and convincing call to arms. The first line, “These are the times that tried men 's souls,” is one of relatability and preparedness for the oncoming difficult times. Paine starts his essay off with a refutation of his argument, stating that although he wants this fight, he knows it will be tough. Paine then challenges the men’s bravery and patriotism to their country by stating the line “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country.”
