"The Crisis" essay #9 by Thomas Paine...

Item # 700604

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June 13, 1780

THE PENNSYLVANIA PACKET, Philadelphia, June 13, 1780

* The Crisis No. IX
* Thomas Paine

"The Crisis" is a collection of 13 essays written by Thomas Paine during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776 Paine wrote Common Sense, an extremely popular and successful pamphlet arguing for Independence from England. The essays collected here constitute Paine's ongoing support for an independent and self-governing America through the many severe crises of the Revolutionary War.
General Washington found the first essay so inspiring, he ordered that it be read to the troops at Valley Forge.
Over half of page 2 of this issue contains the complete text of "The Crisis, No. IX" of the series of 13 essays and is signed in type: Common Sense.

Thomas Paine does not address "The Crisis Number 9" to any group in particular. He describes America's bravery and passion. Paine discusses news that Charleston, South Carolina, has been lost to the American colonists but that it could be a rumor started by the British. He says that the loss of Charleston should renew the passion of the American colonists so that they can continue fighting and win the war. He says that this is only one defeat for the Americans and England is losing almost everywhere else in America. Paine sees an American surrender at Charleston as simply a minor setback and notes that if Charleston is not defeated, American troops should prepare to meet the British army as they leave Charleston.

In this essay Paine reminds the colonists that France and Spain are on the side of America. He believes that France and Spain will take over England's territories elsewhere in the world while England is busy fighting America. He calls on American colonists to continue to support the fight for independence with passion, patriotism, funding, and troops.

Paine adds a postscript to the letter (see photos) stating that he has since found out that the troops in Charleston did surrender.

Coincidently the front page has a short document with a signature of "Thomas Paine, Clerk of the General Assembly" of Pennsylvania, a post he held for a period of time.
A rarity to find an American newspaper with a complete printing of a Crisis essay as they were often partitioned over several issues.
Four pages, very handsome masthead, never-trimmed margins, great condition.

Background: This extraordinary 1780 issue of The Pennsylvania Packet is a "holy grail" for collectors, capturing the raw, pulsing heartbeat of the American Revolution at its most desperate hour. While most colonial newspapers were forced to butcher Thomas Paine’s legendary "The Crisis" into fragments across several weeks, this rare survivor presents the complete, uncut text of Crisis No. IX—an urgent, defiant rallying cry published just as the catastrophic fall of Charleston threatened to break the American spirit. The historical synchronicity is staggering: the front page features Paine’s formal signature as Clerk of the General Assembly, while the interior reveals his iconic "Common Sense" persona grappling in real-time with the fog of war, including a poignant postscript added the moment he confirmed the American surrender. Preserved with pristine, never-trimmed margins and a strikingly handsome masthead, this isn't just a newspaper; it is a high-voltage connection to the very ink and adrenaline that fueled the birth of a nation.