Individual Power

     This week in class, we began reading historical writings that all related to the freedom and independence of our country. Before reading these, I thought that an individual could only hold power when a large group of people came together for one cause. For instance, if a person donates one dollar to feed hungry children around the world, it won't be able to feed every single child, but if everyone in the world donates a dollar, then all the children will have enough food. I have now realized that one person does hold power, which can, in many cases, be enough to greatly impact the people around him/her.
     This realization came through the writings we read, such as "The Crisis" by Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention", and the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson. These pieces of literature and many more writings each display how one person can make a difference. For example, Thomas Paine created an impact on the soldiers in the Continental Army. Washington made his troops read Paine's essay aloud in order to boost their morale and help them move forward in the war. Imagine if Paine never even wrote "The Crisis" and the soldiers all decided to give up on the war for independence. We would've lost the war and we'd probably still be under the control of Great Britain. What it comes down to is even if one person can't impact something to a huge extent, he/she can have an effect on something smaller, which can end up making a difference that is larger than life.