For America's 250th anniversary in 2026, Thomas Paine's influential 1776 pamphlet was called Common Sense.
Published in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, Common Sense argued that the American colonies should seek complete independence from Great Britain. Paine wrote in direct, accessible language rather than the formal style common in political essays, helping his arguments reach a broad reading public.
The pamphlet challenged monarchy and hereditary rule while presenting republican government as a better alternative. It became one of the most influential pieces of revolutionary propaganda and helped shift public debate toward independence before Congress adopted the Declaration later that year.
Common Sense is sometimes confused with Paine's later writings. The Crisis was a series of pamphlets supporting the Revolutionary cause, beginning in December 1776, while Rights of Man was published in 1791 and 1792 as a defense of the French Revolution. Common Sense belongs specifically to the pre-Declaration debate in British America.