Before the American Revolution, two very important documents were written that changed America forever. The Declaration of Independence and The Crisis were made to declare freedom from the rule of Britain so America can become an independent nation. After living under Britain’s control, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine strived for freedom by creating for freedom by creating very important works; However, both documents fought for independence not only similar, but also different through commonwealth, natural rights, public virtues, and the Independence of the political will of the colonists.
In The Crisis, it was stated that commonwealth was damaging the American people and the government, for example: “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph”(Paine 160). This quote is not only stating that no matter how hard America and Britain need to get rid of the commonwealth between them, but also our nation will go above and beyond to gain independence. The Declaration of Independence on the other hand, was saying that since all the colonies are allied as one nation, they can protect their lives, money, and the honor to their country.
Natural Rights is still a common controversy in the world today. The Crisis noted that American rights were not being passed due to Great Britain’s ruling causing citizens and the government to complain about how America, as a whole, needs to reach a state of liberty and equality. The Declaration of Independence said that basic American rights such as liberty, life, and their pursuit to happiness cannot be taken away because basic rights are a key element in the common good and republicanism in a democratic society.
Before the American Revolution, in the state of Massachusetts, the Boston Massacre occurred. Thomas Paine wrote in The Crisis that the Boston Massacre does not necessarily affect other colonies or nations, but Paine still encourages Americans to protest. The Declaration of Independence states that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” (Jefferson 156). Americans put their differences aside between America itself, and the British Parliament in order to secure a better and brighter future in America due to the public virtues.
In The Crisis, the independence of the political will of the colonists was said that the American citizens should be allowed to take part in writing and to contribute to the document that was going to be published to the colonists. King George III was trying to prevent the American townspeople from contributing to the document, but that unfortunately did not work out so well do to the fact that the American government sent out The Declaration of
Throughout both documents, commonwealth, natural rights, public virtues, and the independence of the political will of the colonists are all important, but they all have the same aspect. The most common similarity that the documents share is the fact that The Crisis and The Declaration of Independence both say the same thing except The Crisis is an easier read than The Declaration of Independence. Both documents are extremely important to our nation because of all the time and effort that our Founding Fathers spent in order for we, the American people to live our lives today.
