Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet advocating American independence was titled Common Sense.
Paine published Common Sense anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. Written in direct, accessible prose, it argued that hereditary monarchy and continued reconciliation with Britain were unreasonable. The pamphlet urged ordinary people in the Thirteen Colonies to support a complete break with the British Empire.
The work became an immediate publishing sensation. It was printed in multiple editions, read aloud in public places, and circulated widely throughout the colonies. Its arguments helped make independence a subject of popular political discussion before Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Common Sense is sometimes confused with Paine's later series The American Crisis, which began with the famous phrase “These are the times that try men's souls.” Paine wrote both works during the Revolutionary era, but Common Sense was the earlier independence pamphlet. Its influence is one reason Paine remains closely associated with the political birth of the United States.