These are the times that try mens souls. The summersoldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis,shrink from the service of their country; but he that standsit now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman(Paine). With these words Thomas Paines inspiring, butinflated rhetoric helped to transform a dispute about taxesinto a struggle for the soul of man. This kind of languageunited the feuding colonies around a principle greater thantheir own economic interests. The American Revolution was headed for failure beforeit could begin. The colonists were poorly organized, andlacked the unity need to fight together. Jealousy ragedthroughout the colonies. Individual states, proudlyregarding themselves as sovereign resented the attempts ofCongress to exercise its flimsy powers. Sectional jealousyboiled up over the appointment of military leaders; somedistrustful New Englanders almost preferred British officersto Americans from other section(Bailey et al. 137). Economicproblems challenged the colonists too. They were runningout of metallic money, and so Congress was forced to printpaper money. This money depreciated the moment it came offthe press. Inflation of the money increased the prices of everything in the colonies. The soldiers who were outfighting suffered the most. All of these problems greatlycontributed to the discontentment and discord of thecolonies.On the morning of April 19,1775 shots had beenexchanged by colonials and British, men had been killed. Thewar was on in earnest, and the colonies were still notunified to fight for the same cause. The lines were beingmore clearly drawn between the pro-British and colonialrevolutionists(Columbia Encyclopedia). Loyalists werenumerous among farmers, large landowners, royalofficeholders, and professionals. They were found to be invarying strength in every colony. A large part of thepopulation was more or less neutral. Thomas Paine, thepatriot, lover of liberty,(Hubbard 24) ...
