December 19, 1776—picture this: the Revolutionary War is going about as well as your cousin’s pyramid scheme. Morale is in the gutter, enlistments are dropping faster than crypto in a bear market, and the British? Oh, they’re feeling pretty smug. Enter Thomas Paine. No cape, no superpowers—just a quill and a level of sass so sharp you could shave with it.
He writes The American Crisis, a series of thirteen essays, starting with the now-iconic line, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” I mean, you read that and think, “Wow, deep,” but back then, it was basically a Revolutionary pep talk. He might as well have written, “Hey, guys, I know things suck, but suck it up, buttercup—we’ve got a country to build!”
Why thirteen essays? Because when you’re fighting the world’s most powerful empire, one essay just doesn’t cut it. Paine knew this wasn’t a one-and-done job. No, he kept the hits coming, like the world’s first motivational newsletter. These essays weren’t just motivational Instagram captions. They were wartime therapy sessions for the whole colony. Troops read them around campfires, probably while asking, “Is it just me, or do my frostbitten toes look worse today?” And people shared them like they were the original viral TikToks—but, you know, on paper.
Paine’s timing was genius. The Continental Army was fresh off a string of losses, the kind where you’d want to throw the controller and rage-quit if this were Call of Duty. Washington’s troops needed a miracle—or at least a reminder of why they were freezing their butts off in the middle of nowhere instead of home with a warm mug of mead. Enter Paine, yelling in literary form, “Get off the couch, America! Freedom isn’t free!”
And it worked! People rallied. Troops kept fighting. America didn’t quit, despite the odds being about as favorable as a coin toss with a two-headed coin. The essays carried them through the Revolution, laying the groundwork for that whole “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” gig we’re still working on today.
So, what about now? Are these still the times that try men’s souls? You bet your tea-stained parchment they are. Sure, we’re not worried about redcoats anymore, but we’ve got our own crises: political chaos, social divides, and the looming threat of artificial intelligence figuring out we’re not as smart as we pretend to be. It’s a different battlefield, but the stakes feel just as high.
And here’s the thing—what scared Americans need today is the same thing they needed back then: a reminder that we’ve been here before, that we’ve faced disaster and come out the other side. Okay, maybe not always looking great—history isn’t exactly a skincare routine—but we’ve survived. Paine’s message was clear: perseverance, unity, and a little bit of hope can go a long way. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to channel some righteous anger when things get tough.
So, let’s take a page from The American Crisis. Or thirteen pages, because Paine didn’t skimp on the word count. Let’s remember that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. Or, to put it in modern terms: “Yeah, it’s bad, but let’s not swipe left on liberty just yet.” If we can tap into that same spirit, maybe, just maybe, we can keep this experiment called America going for a few more centuries.
