The American Crisis | Page 7

against a thousand Tories, were they to attempt to get into arms. Every Tory is a coward;
for servile, slavish, self-interested fear is the foundation of Toryism; and a man under
such influence, though he may be cruel, never can be brave.
But, before the line of irrecoverable separation be drawn between us, let us reason the
matter together: Your conduct is an invitation to the enemy, yet not one in a thousand of
you has heart enough to join him. Howe is as much deceived by you as the American
cause is injured by you. He expects you will all take up arms, and flock to his standard,
with muskets on your shoulders. Your opinions are of no use to him, unless you support
him personally, for 'tis soldiers, and not Tories, that he wants.
I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel, against the mean principles
that are held by the Tories: a noted one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at his
door, with as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw, and
after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with this unfatherly
expression, "Well! give me peace in my day." Not a man lives on the continent but fully
believes that a separation must some time or other finally take place, and a generous
parent should have said, "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may
have peace;" and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to
duty. Not a place upon earth might be so happy as America. Her situation is remote from
all the wrangling world, and she has nothing to do but to trade with them. A man can
distinguish himself between temper and principle, and I am as confident, as I am that God
governs the world, that America will never be happy till she gets clear of foreign
dominion. Wars, without ceasing, will break out till that period arrives, and the continent
must in the end be conqueror; for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to
shine, the coal can never expire.
America did not, nor does not want force; but she wanted a proper application of that
force. Wisdom is not the purchase of a day, and it is no wonder that we should err at the
first setting off. From an excess of tenderness, we were unwilling to raise an army, and
trusted our cause to the temporary defence of a well-meaning militia. A summer's
experience has now taught us better; yet with those troops, while they were collected, we
were able to set bounds to the progress of the enemy, and, thank God! they are again
assembling. I always considered militia as the best troops in the world for a sudden

exertion, but they will not do for a long campaign. Howe, it is probable, will make an
attempt on this city [Philadelphia]; should he fail on this side the Delaware, he is ruined.
If he succeeds, our cause is not ruined. He stakes all on his side against a part on ours;
admitting he succeeds, the consequence will be, that armies from both ends of the
continent will march to assist their suffering friends in the middle states; for he cannot go
everywhere, it is impossible. I consider Howe as the greatest enemy the Tories have; he is
bringing a war into their country, which, had it not been for him and partly for themselves,
they had been clear of. Should he now be expelled, I wish with all the devotion of a
Christian, that the names of Whig and Tory may never more be mentioned; but should the
Tories give him encouragement to come, or assistance if he come, I as sincerely wish that
our next year's arms may expel them from the continent, and the Congress appropriate
their possessions to the relief of those who have suffered in well-doing. A single
successful battle next year will settle the whole. America could carry on a two years' war
by the confiscation of the property of disaffected persons, and be made happy by their
expulsion. Say not that this is revenge, call it rather the soft resentment of a suffering
people, who, having no object in view but the good of all, have staked their own all upon
a seemingly doubtful event. Yet it is folly to argue against determined hardness;
eloquence may strike the ear, and the language of sorrow draw forth the tear of
compassion, but nothing can reach the heart that is steeled with prejudice.
Quitting this class of men, I turn with the warm ardor of a friend to