Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet urging the Thirteen Colonies to seek independence from Britain was Common Sense.
Published anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, the 47-page pamphlet attacked monarchy and hereditary rule while arguing that the colonies should establish a representative republic. Paine wrote in direct, accessible language rather than the formal style common in political essays, helping the argument reach a broad audience.
Common Sense circulated widely through print shops, newspapers, taverns, and public readings. Its success helped shift public discussion from resistance to British policies toward the more radical goal of complete independence. Thomas Paine later acknowledged authorship, although the first edition identified him only as “an Englishman.”
Common Sense did not itself declare independence, and it was not an official act of the Continental Congress. The Declaration of Independence followed several months later, in July 1776. Paine continued supporting the revolutionary cause through The American Crisis, another series of pamphlets published during the war.