Propaganda is the widespread communication of ideas that are not necessarily objective to persuade an audience of a certain notion or incite people to take a particular action. Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis and Common Sense are both forms of propaganda. They present a subjective opinion communicated as an objective message. For instance, in Common Sense, Paine claims that he has never met an American or British who did not think that the two countries would eventually split. Here, he communicates that the fight for independence is inevitable, which is a type of incitement. Paine attempts to persuade people that they have both the numbers and unity required to defend against British rule. In The American Crisis, he compares colonization to slavery, which is a propagandist strategy meant to invoke emotions such as anger. These documents are indoctrinations since they spread half-truths in a convincing manner meant to incite insurgence.
The Declaration of Independence is not a form of propaganda. It does not instigate people to take a particular action. Instead, it lists the freedoms that all men should enjoy. For instance, the document states that all individuals have natural rights such as the right to liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness. It is the civic duty of citizens to defend their rights. It differs from Paine’s document because it informs people of their rights and duties rather than incites them to take a particular action. It also contains an objective testimony of the wrongs that King George III committed against America. These injustices include collecting taxes in America, burning some towns, wrongfully convicting some citizens, and waging war against the country. Contrasted with Thomas Paine’s documents which are inciting and subjective, The Declaration is informative and objective and is not propaganda.