There is no doubt that pamphlets of Thomas Paine made the Revolution popular among the masses. His American Crisis provided motivation both to the Continental Army and inhabitants of the Thirteen Colonies. Unlike Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, he used straightforward prose to deliver his democratic message to laborers, artisans, and farmers. While other political writers at the time appealed to the elite, Paine’s full of energy and raw voice had been reaching a new extended political audience – his fellow colonists.
The famous philosopher used many different persuasive techniques in his pamphlets. Paine, Deist himself, often quoted the Bible to provide reasons for his arguments. For instance, in “Common Sense,” he appeals to authority represented by God, who has no intention to preserve England’s rule over the colonies. He also makes ethical appeals when opposing monarchy as something wrong and calling the British king a “sullen-tempered Pharaoh of England” (Hennessy, 2012, p. 68). In his further arguments, Paine states that it is wrong to let the island rule over such a large country and to suppress its freedom. He also used emotional appeals to elicit such strong feelings as anger and persuade colonists to fight for independence.
His straightforward, incendiary language and charged words appeal more to emotion than the reason of the readers. For instance, in Crisis, the author compares British tyranny to slavery, meaning that colonists who use slaves are slaves themselves. It is a metaphor that emphasizes unfair treatment from England. Such arguments had been eliciting anger and appealed to the logical reasoning of people at the time. Another logical appeal is when Paine reminds people that the king, a housebreaker and murderer, is treated the same by God as other corrupt men (Hennessy, 2012). The author appeals to the association when telling his readers that he will be a friend to those who rebel against Britain. Paine also shows his love for American land throughout his pamphlets and tries to extract colonists’ pride. He even gives human characteristics to America, applying personification as a solid rhetoric tool.
To conclude, Paine contributed to the success of the American Revolution by motivating the masses to rebel against Britain. His straightforward and incendiary language, which every citizen could understand, had been appealing to ethical, logical, and emotional reasoning. He also persuaded his audience by targeting their sense of authority and association. He was a master of rhetoric that successfully discouraged aligning with the Torries and spurred the movement against British rule.
Reference
Hennessy, D. (2012). Classics of American literature. (Vol. 1).