“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...