Answer:
All of the above.
Explanation:
When mentioning the phrase stated in the question, Thomas Paine refers to the moment of extreme tension and difficulty that would be generated as a consequence of the beginning of the American Revolution. Thus, the patriotic thinker referred to the fact that the soldiers and other defenders of the American cause would see their convictions put to the test by a bloody war and a political and economic situation of extreme urgency and difficulty, which would put American society in general in a crisis. series of difficult challenges to face.
For this reason, Paine appealed to the will of the patriots to defend the revolutionary cause even in the event of military defeats or economic emergencies, motivating the colonists to resist and support the independence of the United States.