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"The Crisis" by Thomas Paine...
"The Crisis" by Thomas Paine...
Item # 569839
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May 22, 1777
THE INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE & UNIVERSAL ADVERTISER, Boston, May 22, 1777
* The Crisis by Thomas Paine
The masthead features an engraving taken from one done by Paul Revere, showing a soldier holding a sword and a document inscribed "Independence" while standing beneath a banner inscribed "Appeal To Heaven" and surrounded by ornate embellishments. A very ornate and patriotic engraving making this issue displayable, particularly from the midst of the Revolutionary War. But the great content on the front page trumps all else in this newspaper.
In 1776 Thomas Paine, a soldiers in Washington's army, began publishing a series of essays entitled "The American Crisis" in an effort to bolster the sagging spirits of the American soldiers in their cause against the British. The war was not going well for the colonists and many feared the cause for independence would soon be abandoned. These essays ultimately served as a morale booster & generated support for the revolution. There was a total of 13 essays and they were published throughout the duration of the Revolutionary War.
This newspaper contains a portion of essay No. III of the series, taking all of the front page and a small portion of page two where is noted at its conclusion: "Want of room obliges us to omit the Remainder this week." The beginning in this newspaper is a continuation from a previous issue (his essays were very lengthy & rarely appeared in their entirety in a single newspaper), beginning about one-third of the way into this essay number III. The complete text of essay III is included with this newspaper as taken from the internet, with the portion included in this issue marked accordingly.
The text begins on the front page with: "Having this gone over some of the principal points in support of Independence, I must now request the reader to return back with me to the period when it first began to be a public doctrine..." with much more (see photos for portions). The last paragraph begins: "All we want to know in America is simply this, who is for Independence, and who is not?..." (see).
There is much other fine content in this issue including reports on the Revolutionary War, yet they pale in comparison to "The Crisis" text.
Only rarely do we have the opportunity to offer such a significant newspaper. It is complete in four pages, never bound nor trimmed, and in very nice condition.
Category: Revolutionary War
No Longer Available
