Chapter 1: Sowing the Seeds of Revolution

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    America is a nation built upon a revolution. Revolutions however, do not start on their own. Convincing the populace to rebel requires people who can inspire. The spurring of the colonies into revolution can be traced back to two writers who used the power of the press to rally people to their cause.; John Adams and Thomas Paine.

    John Adams was a writer for the Boston Gazette who used the paper to spread his anti-British message. He would write stories that villainized  the British soldiers, claiming them to be criminals and drunkards. He turned an accidental fight between British soldiers and protestors into the Boston massacre claiming that the soldiers killed the colonists in a planned attack, going so far as to have a drawing of the event made so that even the illiterate would know what happened. However Adams had no compunction about falsifying stories in order to advance his agenda, which is a major breach in journalism ethics. Despite his stories not being truthful they succeeded in riling people up and pushed them towards revolution.

     The other journalist that is credited with inciting the revolution is Thomas Paine. Paine was a writer for the short lived Pennsylvania Magazine who went on to write Common Sense an essay that is said to be responsible for inspiring hundreds of thousands of colonists to support independence. Paine's writing was also used to boost troop morale, with Crisis essays that promised glory to those who joined the revolutionaries and shame to those who didn't. Paine's ability to appeal to the masses allowed him to shape the future of his country.