Episode 8: The American Crisis, No. 1: | "These Are the Times That Try Men’s Souls” (1776)

Creating America · Mar 5, 2026 · 25m · transcript

This episode features a dramatic reading of the first pamphlet from The American Crisis by Thomas Paine, published in December 1776 during the darkest days of the American Revolution. Written in plain language for ordinary colonists, Paine’s words were meant to strengthen resolve, condemn tyranny, and rally support for independence. The opening line—“These are the times that try men’s souls”—became one of the most enduring calls to courage in American history.

The episode provides brief historical context, including the tradition that George Washington found the pamphlet so inspiring that it…