Everyone has seen the infamous scene of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As one of the greatest moments of American history, Thomas Paine, a British man, was one of the main influences for the founding and reasoning behind the document. Every student who has taken United States history in school has heard of Thomas Paine or Common Sense, his magnum opus, but the way he influenced the American masses remains a mystery. Scholars today question how Paine was so convincing with to the people with his works. They also wonder why Paine was the main propagandist of the movement and not someone else. Thomas Paine’s innate ability to propagandize his works through his writing style allowed him to convince the American
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In his pamphlet series The American Crisis, Paine is able to utilize his simple writing style in order to show support for the war. In his series, he also further defines the liberal ideals sought for in a language the common man could understand. It is for this reason Scott Slawinski claims “Paine’s contribution to the American Revolution was ‘fashioning a new language that presented politics in the vernacular that artisans and other middling sorts were already accustomed to reading’” (206). With such simple and common language used, Paine allowed his works to be understood by many citizens in America, yet still be a point of inquiry for intellectuals wishing to interpret the ideas themselves. Paine’s own writing style also naturally led to the ability to propagandize his works by connecting with the population. Further discussing the success of his Crisis 1 paper, Edward Gallagher states “[...] the four-paragraph introduction serves the crucial function of settling down his panic-stricken readers by redefining time present, time past, and time future—thereby giving the audience stabilizing coordinates that quell anxiety and foster clarity” (88). This style of writing allowed those to visualize his ideas and look at them from three differing perspectives in time. The success of Paine’s writing style is evident in the fact that many Americans reading and understanding his writings, spreading his ideals throughout America. With his ideas in mind, the citizens of America united together to fight for one single ideal,
In his pamphlet series The American Crisis, Paine is able to utilize his simple writing style in order to show support for the war. In his series, he also further defines the liberal ideals sought for in a language the common man could understand. It is for this reason Scott Slawinski claims “Paine’s contribution to the American Revolution was ‘fashioning a new language that presented politics in the vernacular that artisans and other middling sorts were already accustomed to reading’” (206). With such simple and common language used, Paine allowed his works to be understood by many citizens in America, yet still be a point of inquiry for intellectuals wishing to interpret the ideas themselves. Paine’s own writing style also naturally led to the ability to propagandize his works by connecting with the population. Further discussing the success of his Crisis 1 paper, Edward Gallagher states “[...] the four-paragraph introduction serves the crucial function of settling down his panic-stricken readers by redefining time present, time past, and time future—thereby giving the audience stabilizing coordinates that quell anxiety and foster clarity” (88). This style of writing allowed those to visualize his ideas and look at them from three differing perspectives in time. The success of Paine’s writing style is evident in the fact that many Americans reading and understanding his writings, spreading his ideals throughout America. With his ideas in mind, the citizens of America united together to fight for one single ideal,