Anecdotal evidence is the use of stories, such as personal or historical events, to illustrate and support a particular point. Thomas Paine uses anecdotal evidence to rally his readers in support of the revolution. Here is one such anecdote Paine uses:
Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to kill me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to suffer it? What signifies it to me, whether he who does it is a king or a common man; my countryman or not my countryman; whether it be done by an individual villain, or an army of them? If we reason to the root of things we shall find no difference;
In this excerpt from "Crisis, No. 1," Paine uses an anecdotal story about a thief breaking into a house to show why the colonists are justified in seeking independence from Britain. Paine compares the actions of a thief breaking into a house to the actions of the British king unjustly ruling the colonies. Although anecdotes, such as this example, aren’t always logical evidence, brief stories can be effective in persuading an audience.
