"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 for it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." — The American Crisis December 23, 1776

The pen of Thomas Paine was one of the most powerful weapons Americans possessed in their struggle for independence. The American Crisis played a key role in per­suading ordinary people to embrace the American Revolution and to remain true to that cause. The pamphlets comprising this volume bluntly denounced Great Britain's constitution, its monarchy, and its empire and reminded citizens why they were undertaking such an arduous struggle. Our political rhetoric and indeed our political culture still show the imprint of Paine's galvanizing words.