In Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, who was the author?

Thomas Paine was the author of the 1776 pamphlet Common Sense.

Published anonymously on January 10, 1776, the pamphlet argued that the Thirteen Colonies should seek complete independence from Great Britain. Paine used direct, accessible language rather than the formal style common in political writing, helping the work reach ordinary readers.

Common Sense was printed in Philadelphia and circulated widely through shops, newspapers, taverns, and public readings. It attacked monarchy and hereditary succession while presenting republican government as a practical alternative. The pamphlet became one of the most influential pro-independence publications of the Revolutionary era.

Paine initially wrote under anonymity, signing the pamphlet “by an Englishman.” His identity became publicly connected with it later in 1776. Common Sense is sometimes confused with Paine's later works, including The American Crisis and Rights of Man, but those were separate publications.