Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense helped persuade American colonists to support independence.
Paine published Common Sense anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. Written in direct, accessible prose, it attacked hereditary monarchy and argued that the American colonies should seek complete independence from Britain. Its timing made it especially influential: public debate was intensifying months before the Declaration was adopted.
The pamphlet sold exceptionally well for its era and was read aloud in homes, taverns, and military settings. Paine used biblical references, political reasoning, and practical arguments to reach readers beyond the educated elite. George Washington praised its effect, and Paine donated much of the income from the publication.
Common Sense did not itself declare independence or create a legal separation. Congress still had to debate and approve the Lee Resolution and Declaration of Independence. Paine later wrote The American Crisis series during the war and Rights of Man during the French Revolution, so those titles are frequent sources of confusion when identifying his 1776 independence pamphlet.