The Times That Try Men’s Souls: The Revolution on the Brink
What was the American Revolution? The Declaration of Independence established it as a new way of thinking about liberty and government. But the Revolution also involved a War for Independence that shaped the way those Americans thought about themselves and their former rulers. Just as the ideas of the founders helped create the United States, the conflict with Britain helped forge a new nation united in a common purpose.
Thomas Paine poetically described the desperate struggle in which the former colonists were engaged as “the times that try men’s souls.” Through this trial, Americans reinforced the unity that existed before the first shot on Lexington Green was fired. And they discovered new bonds that would carry them into an independent future.
In the summer of 1776, the American Revolution entered its most precarious phase. The British Empire responded to the Patriots’ challenge with overwhelming force in the hopes of subduing the rebels and bringing the colonies back into the empire. Many in London believed the war would be over within a year.
New York, the major commercial center on the eastern seaboard and a hotbed of British loyalists, became the focal point. When 400 British ships landed in the summer of 1776, they brought with them the largest expeditionary army the empire had ever assembled. Thousands of seasoned troops, German mercenaries, and naval firepower confronted Washington’s inexperienced soldiers.
The result was catastrophic for the Patriots. The Continental Army was driven from the city and across New Jersey. As desertions mounted and enlistments expired, soldiers went home to harvest crops and protect family members. The revolutionary experiment appeared to be collapsing before it had truly begun.
General Washington faced long odds but realized the desperate need for perseverance and strong military action against the British. His opportunity came on Christmas 1776. While almost everyone in America slept, Washington embarked on a desperate gamble across the icy Delaware River. The Continental Army’s victory at Trenton and a second victory shortly afterward at Princeton reinforced the message: the Patriots were ready to defend the new Republic.
Military success had several effects on the young country. These early victories would not end the war, but they convinced many soldiers to reenlist and signaled to Patriots everywhere that defeating the enemy was possible. And following the British surrender at Saratoga, the most decisive American victory of the war, the colonial uprising became an international conflict.
The new American alliance with France made a big difference. Money, weapons, naval power, and military expertise flowed to the American cause. But most importantly, the war had legitimized the young country in the eyes of a foreign nation. While the Paris elites were less interested in the American ideals than in weakening a hostile empire, the alliance showed they were convinced that the Patriots were worth backing.
The war also revealed some of the issues facing a new country learning to govern its own affairs independently. The Continental Army suffered from chronic shortages and poor logistics. Political infighting was a challenge for the Republic from its birth. Congress struggled to raise funds or compel cooperation from the states. As a result, soldiers went unpaid and supplies rotted in depots. This had real effects on the front lines. At Valley Forge, thousands of troops lacked adequate food, and one in six soldiers died of disease during the winter of 1777 and 1778.
Yet, Valley Forge also demonstrated the basic fact that the Revolution survived because ordinary men refused to quit. Gradually, leadership improved the efficacy of the military campaigns, and training the troops made them more lethal. Over time, the states became more effective at enlisting soldiers and raising funds. But the most important component to the American victory was the fact that ordinary men persevered through the countless hardships in defense of a cause they believed in.
The War for Independence certainly shaped the way soldiers thought about their new country, but it also transformed many civilian lives as well. Rural communities suffered through a civil conflict marked by bloody raids, swift reprisals, and personal vendettas. Loyalist and Patriot militias fought shadow wars that rarely made it into official histories. Women contributed to the cause in many different ways, including managing farms, businesses, and supply networks. The struggle to survive forged an American identity on both the front lines and the home front.
By 1778, the American cause was no longer on the verge of collapse, but it was far from secure. The war would drag on for several more years, and Americans would face further struggles on and off the battlefield. Many questions remained, including countless debates about what the future would bring once the fighting was over. However, the Americans’ determination in the face of the “times that try men’s souls” demonstrated their ability to face any challenge. The war itself was creating a country.
By surviving the British invasion and continuing to fight, they created a nation that would reach incredible heights in the centuries ahead. Their commitment to the cause, a physical embodiment of the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence, was forged not only in the words themselves but in the actions of these young Americans. In this sense, the “Founding Fathers” number in the hundreds of thousands, as each Patriot’s story serves as a testament to the enduring power of the American idea. Their refusal to surrender, sustained through death, defeat, division, and doubt, proved more powerful than any declaration.
About this Piece
Dr. Dale Moler, Assistant Professor of History and Honors Program Lead at Northwood University, co-authored this piece with Dr. Alexander Tokarev, Associate Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Northwood University, and Kristin Tokarev, a Northwood University alumna, and producer for Stossel TV. This piece originally was published in the Spring 2026 edition of When Free to Choose, Northwood University’s signature publication dedicated to exploring the importance of free enterprise. Click here to receive When Free to Choose in your inbox!