“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 by 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 everything 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. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER,” and if being bound in that manner is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.” —Thomas Payne, “The Crisis,” December 23, 1776
I heard these words recited in a six-part documentary called “The American Revolution” by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt aired recently on PBS. Thomas Payne wrote it to inspire participants in the American Revolution as its army was sagging in desperation. Poorly trained and outfitted soldier patriots were pitted against the world’s greatest army of the time. Independence from oppression and domination by Great Britain was the goal of the colonial revolt, but aspirations were dimming. So Thomas Payne wrote an essay longer than this partial quote to inspire renewed efforts by the Continental Army and colonial militias in their struggle for independence from England. I think these words, penned two hundred forty-nine years ago, still apply in today’s crisis in America.
While watching the documentary, I was struck by the desire of the revolutionaries to transition from “British subject” to American “citizen”. A “subject” is a person under the control of a personal sovereign, such as a monarch or king, in a one-sided relationship of allegiance, loyalty, and obedience to that ruler. A “citizen” has a legal, reciprocal relationship of rights and responsibilities with the state.
The American colonies were started for the enrichment of the British Empire, and the results of colonial prosperity were to flow, in part, back to England. Rebellion resulted due to England’s increasing economic demands on the colonies to fund Britain’s wars with France and Spain over colonial domination worldwide. The move from “subject” to “citizen” would allow the colonists greater personal, economic, and political control within the emerging colonial states by removing British control. Not all the colonists participated in the revolution. Many felt their security resided in subservience to the monarch.
Today’s parallels are striking. Americans are conflicted in trust of where our security lies. Is rule of law or rule of king better? What should be more influential in American society—swearing an oath to uphold the United States Constitution or muttering allegiance to a small group of power mongers? The prosperity of American citizens no longer flows to Great Britain; instead, it flows to the top one percent.
Current American citizenry acts differently from their revolutionary counterparts, who had to establish and keep their emerging democracy. The colonial soldiers were very poorly equipped, fed, and paid. Yet they fought in horrendous conditions of mud, blood, heat, and cold, willing to die for the benefits of a free society. They understood why the fight mattered. In contrast, over one-third of modern American citizens couldn’t even get to a clean, warm, and well-lit voting booth in our last presidential election. Apparently, they don’t know why the “fight” matters even as they let the “rights and responsibilities” of citizenship slip backwards into servitude to the king.
Ken Burns’ documentary is stunning in its portrayal of the courage and commitment of a ragtag army that faced the battlefield roar of withering musket fire, grapeshot and cannon balls. It is in sharp contrast to the well-suited modern-day politicians in the halls of Congress who have abandoned their oath to uphold the Constitution for fear of losing their political power and appointment. A lack of courage by many elected officials and others to speak up and act to prevent the abandonment of constitutional law and the emerging return to monarchy is deafeningly silent.
The story of the Hessian conscripts who fought for England was new to me. They are often referred to as mercenaries, which implies they chose to fight. In reality, they didn’t choose, as the German monarch sold the soldiers to the British monarch for cash. Monarch to monarch, selling their minions. Being subjects of the German monarch, they had no choice but to go where they were assigned. Hessian war captives were treated differently by the Continental Army, which saw the Hessians as victims of their monarch, much like themselves.
The captives were treated well and allowed to return home to Germany. Because of their humane treatment, many Hessians stayed in the new United States. Others returned from Germany with their families, starting a new life in America. The treatment of those immigrants two hundred fifty years ago is in sharp contrast to the current inhumanity towards modern-day immigrants escaping tyranny, war, and famine in their own countries. They, too, are looking at America as a chance for a new and better life.
“The American Revolution” is a documentary that tells all sides of the story. Warts and all. British war captives and Tories were treated cruelly by the Continental Army. American colonial prosperity was dependent on slavery and taking Indian lands. Both slaves and Indians were made various promises, largely unfulfilled, to entice them to fight on one side or another. It is also the story of a small group of founders supported by armed civilians trying to establish a new system of self-governance. Their success created a new world order based on democracy, human rights, and “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Benjamin Franklin said the American experiment was “a republic, if you can keep it.”
He implied that a republic (and democracy) is not self-sustaining but depends on active and informed participation by its citizens. In the “good life” of modern America, many distractions blur truthful, complete information and stymie citizen action. Meanwhile, modern “monarchs,” celebrities, and power mongers are using wealth and stealth to quickly deconstruct our democracy while we, the citizens, are engaged in comparatively trivial arguments and chaotic divisiveness. Read Thomas Payne again, and please, watch the documentary.
