Thomas Paine's Impact On The American Revolution Essay

When most people hear the words “The American Revolution,” they think of the bloody battles that occurred and the ensuing independence of the thirteen colonies. However, not only did this give birth to our nation, it also had an impact on American literature. The events of the famous war brought confidence to the colonists and started the revolt against Britain. The Colonists wanted their independence and during this time they did not have a form of informing everyone in the colonies. The only efficient way of spreading news and opinions was to write a book.
Many well-known authors came out of this time period and many of their works are still being talked about and reviewed today. Thomas Paine was an ideal author during this time period and is one of the few authors who are still being learned about today. His most famous writings were Common Sense and The Crisis, every person who goes to school has learned about Paine at some point in time. A few other authors to come out at this time were Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, and Thomas Jefferson. These men were not only known for their writing, but for some type of major role they took part in during The American Revolution. Paul Revere warned the colonists of Concord and Lexington that the British were on their way to perform a surprise attack, this event brought the famous line, “one if by land and two if by sea.” Benjamin Franklin was a part of the “Founding Fathers.” Thomas Jefferson was also part of the Founding Fathers, was the governor of Virginia, and later became the future President of the United States of America. Many of their writings have similarities, they all talked about how the colonies were ready to separate from Britain and also talking about how poorly treated they all were. Because of their high level in society they were able to persuade many of the colonists to revolt against the English. (Literature during the American Revolution 07 Feb. 2012) Literature had a major role during the American Revolution and the people behind the writing were the ones who made the biggest impact. …show more content…
Their topics and the content written in their stories related to the feelings of the colonists. The content brought hope to the colonists and told them that the only way they could survive the war is if they stuck together and united as one. Thomas Jefferson once said, “That there are our grievances which we have thus laid before his majesty, with the freedom of language and sentiment which becomes a free people claiming their rights as a derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief master.” Jefferson clearly wanted the audience to realize that the Colonies have suffered enough under the rule of the King and now it was time to stop being the victim and take a stand for their rights. It was time for the colonist to take a stand and get out from under the King’s rule. New governments were being planned and people were going to change their way of living. (Quotes about American Revolution 22 Nov. 2015) Confidence began to spread throughout the colonists and soon everyone was not afraid to state their point of view. Before the beginning of the war each person who were to publish a book with a topic going against any of England’s beliefs they would not put their name on it in fear of England’s wrath. Plagiarism was extremely popular since no names were put on work. Many opportunities to acquire popularity from a piece of work that was not rightfully yours was at a very high rate. After the war, however many laws were passed to stop plagiarism and even today there is technology to detect it in anyone’s work. American literature has been through some major changes throughout the past 240 years. A great deal of controversial topics had been written, laws had been made to go against plagiarism, and authors now write for a job rather than for a hobby. Many writers in the seventeen hundreds only wrote out of enjoyment; they did not think