- March 6, 1809, 217 years ago — Death of Thomas Heyward Jr..
- March 6, 1724, 302 years ago — Birth of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress.
- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
The American Crisis No. VI
The American Crisis by Thomas Paine
Published October 20, 1778
To the Earl of Carlisle, General Clinton, and William Eden, Esquires, Commissioners from the King of Great Britain:
Gentlemen, you are sent to negotiate with Congress, and you bring with you no other conditions than pardon. You have nothing to offer but submission. You come with the language of authority, not of reason; and you expect to be heard with reverence, not with respect.
The people of America are not to be seduced by soft words or intimidated by threats. They know the value of liberty, and they will not barter it for safety. The cause they fight for is just, and the principles they defend are eternal. The war you wage is not against armies, but against ideas; and in that war, you are already defeated.
You speak of reconciliation, but you mean subjugation. You offer peace, but you demand obedience. You appeal to the past, but you ignore the present. The time for negotiation is long past. The sword has decided, and the people have chosen.
Let it be known that America will never return to the yoke of Britain. The flame of liberty burns too brightly to be extinguished by proclamations or commissions. The future belongs to the free, and the cause of America is the cause of all mankind.
Source: Public domain
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