Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet arguing for American independence was Common Sense.
Published anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, the 47-page pamphlet attacked hereditary monarchy and argued that the Thirteen Colonies should break completely from Great Britain. Paine wrote in direct, accessible prose rather than the formal political language common in many earlier arguments.
Common Sense quickly circulated through shops, newspapers, taverns, and public readings. Its arguments helped make independence a subject of popular debate during the months before the Declaration of Independence. The pamphlet did not itself declare independence or establish a government; those roles belonged to later actions by the Continental Congress.
Thomas Paine initially wanted to call the work Plain Truth, but Benjamin Rush suggested the title Common Sense. Paine first published it anonymously as “an Englishman,” and his authorship became publicly known several months later. Estimates of its sales vary, but it became one of the most influential publications of the American Revolution.