Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet Common Sense argued that Britain’s American colonies should become independent.
Published anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, Common Sense used direct, accessible language rather than the formal style common in political writing. Paine attacked hereditary monarchy and argued that a small island should not rule a vast continent.
The pamphlet appeared just months before the Declaration of Independence. It circulated widely in pamphlet and newspaper editions, reaching a large audience and helping make independence a subject of popular debate. Its arguments did not create the colonial resistance, but they gave many Patriots a clear case for complete separation.
Common Sense is sometimes confused with Paine’s later Crisis papers. The Crisis began in December 1776 and supported American morale during the war, while Common Sense specifically pressed the case for independence before the Declaration was adopted.