Content and appeal of Crisis No. 1

Paine encouraged the colonists to value victory and its consequent freedom because "the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph," noting that "what we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly." He described British political and military maneuvers as impious, since unlimited power can belong only to God, and expressed hope that the American crisis could be resolved quickly. Crisis No. 1 concludes with a vivid description of what would happen if colonists acted like cowards and gave up.