The American Crisis

In his essays, Paine frequently shames and insults “Tories,” or loyalists, with increasing harshness, while also trying to persuade them to join his cause. What makes his argument effective/ineffective?

How does Paine use notions of masculinity, duty, and honor to shame the British government and military? Provide examples from the text.

How have Paine’s essays expanded your understanding of the American War of Independence?

Paine often compares being a colonial subject to living in a state of enslavement, yet he never questions America’s enslavement of African peoples. He also regularly compares the British to Black and Indigenous people as a means of insulting the British and denigrating their character. What do his comments, and omissions, tell us about his worldview?

One of the ways in which Americans defied the British was by defending their right to bear arms. Explain why many early Americans considered this right to be so important.

Paine condemns British violence in Indian and African colonies and wishes repeatedly for America to become a peaceful nation. However, he also claims that American colonists need to bear arms in order to defend themselves from Indigenous nations. What does this contradiction tell us about Paine’s politics?

Paine uses detailed financial arguments to try to convince his fellow Americans that increased federal tax was necessary in order to win the war. What do his arguments reveal about the American political discourse in the early 1780s?

Paine often strongly criticizes the British monarchy and questions monarchies’ moral legitimacy. However, he also speaks of the French King and monarchy in glowing, complimentary terms. Why does Paine contradict himself in this manner? Do you think it undermines his overall arguments? Why or why not?