NEW VERSION OF “THE AMERICAN CRISIS”

Doug Smith

December 19, 2025

While watching Ken Burns’ new documentary about the Revolutionary War, I was

reminded of the great writer Thomas Paine and his inspirational “Common Sense”

essays that gave our fledgling country hope in the darkest of times. I had never read

them in their entirety, but I looked up the text of his most famous essay “The American

Crisis”, published on December 19, 1776, precisely 249 years ago.

As I read it, I started to re-imagine what his message could mean to those of us today

who stand aghast at the endless cruelty and corruption of the current regime. What

follows is my attempt to stay true to his line of thought but apply it to our current

American Crisis in 2025. The words in ITALICS are mine, the rest are taken directly

from the original essay.

Our American Crisis – 249 Years Later, Freedom is Once Again in Crisis

THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot

will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but those who stand it now,

deserve the love and thanks of men and women. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily

conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more

glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness

only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its

goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not

be highly rated. President Donald J. Trump, with an ICE army to enforce his tyranny,

has declared that he has the right to snatch anyone, citizen or not, from the streets of

any city or town in the nation. If being bound and thrown into a detention camp without

due process is not slavery, then there is not such a thing as slavery upon earth.

‘Tis surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. All

nations and ages have been subject to them. “Immigrants are eating our cats and

dogs… journalists are enemies of the people… help for the poor is impoverishing our

nation” – these are just some of the lies told by the present administration to scare the

public into allowing all manner of evil actions to be taken.

Yet panics, in some cases, have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their

duration is always short; the mind of the wise soon grows through them and acquires a

firmer habit of critical thinking than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that they are the touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and people to light, which might otherwise have lain forever undiscovered. They sift out the hidden thoughts of people and hold them up in public. Everyone who now defends these lies and the evil and cruel actions they lead to is marked as intentionally and defiantly ignorant. They should have done their research into the truthfulness of these claims, but they did not. They listened only to the liars and to those media lackeys who are paid to reinforce the lies.

Why is it that the administration is attacking big cities but not the more rural areas of the country? The answer is easy: big cities are not infested with MAGA’s. I have been

reluctant in the past to raise a cry against these people, knowing that it is always

possible to change, as I had to in the past. I have used numberless arguments to show

them their danger, but it will not do to sacrifice our constitution and our democracy either to their folly or their baseness. The period is now arrived, in which either they or we must change our sentiments, or one or both must fall.

And what is a MAGA? Good God! What is he? Every MAGA is a coward; for servile,

slavish, and self-interested fear is the foundation of MAGA-ism; and a person 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 ever greater cruelty by this

administration, yet not one in a thousand of you has heart enough to speak against

what you know to be wrong. Even self-described Christians have not the courage to

defend the weak, the sick, the immigrant, and the poor, as Jesus himself enjoined us to

do.

We should all feel that kind of anger against the mean principles that are held by the

MAGAs. For example, a man was standing at his door, with a child by his hand, 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 person lives on the continent but fully believes that an end to the present cruelty must some time or other finally come. 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 parent to their duty. It is only those who are foolish and blind to their duty who believe that authoritarianism, once established, will fade quietly and peacefully away. America will never be happy till she gets clear of the domination by our billionaire class, and the politicians they purchase. The Constitution must in the end be victorious; for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal must never expire.

I turn with the warm ardor of a friend to those who have nobly stood and are yet

determined to stand the matter out. I call not upon a few, but upon all… not on this

state or that state, but on every state… to up and help us. Lay your shoulders to the

wheel; better to have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake.

Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and

virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger,

came forth to meet and to repulse it.

It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold… the evil or the blessing of

the present crisis will reach you all. The far and the near, the urban and the rural, the

rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike. The heart that feels not now is dead; the

blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little

might have saved the whole, and made them happy.

I love the patriot that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and

grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is

firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light. Not all the

treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support a dictator.

Let them call me rebel and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the

misery of my conscience were I to make a whore of my soul by swearing allegiance to

one whose character is that of a cruel, corrupt, stubborn, worthless, and brutish man.

There are cases which cannot be overstated by language, and this is one. There are

people, too, who see not the full extent of the evil which threatens them; they solace

themselves with hopes that the would-be dictator, if he succeeds, will be merciful. It is

the madness of folly to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice.

I thank God that I fear not. I see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well and can

see the way out of it. The sign of fear is not seen in our camp. Once more we are

again collected and collecting; our army of Constitutional patriots in all parts of the

country is recruiting fast, and we shall be able to open the midterm campaign with

outstanding men and women ready to engage our adversaries.

This is our situation as we know it. By perseverance and fortitude, we have the

prospect of a glorious future; but cowardice and submission to lies and demagoguery

have reduced many in this country to defending the indefensible. Look on this picture

and weep over it! If there yet remains one thoughtless wretch who believes it not, let

him suffer it unlamented.

You can read all of the essays Doug has written over the past several months at: https://substack.com/@dougsmith801323.