Paine opens by saying that these are challenging times.
Explanation:
These lines have been taken from The Crisis which was a series of America crisis written by Thomas Paine. These pamphlets were basically about the American Revolution which was not supported by colonists.
The pamphlets were basically meant to invoke the feelings of revolution and nationalization in the Americans so that they could raise their voice against the colonists or the Great Britain.
Through these pamphlets, Paine also led the common people to believe that a war with Great Britain was the only way of gaining their freedom and liberalization.
