Thomas Paine’s January 1776 pamphlet that helped popularize independence was Common Sense.
Published anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, the 47-page pamphlet argued that the American colonies should break completely from Great Britain. Paine wrote in direct language aimed at ordinary readers rather than only political leaders, making complicated arguments about monarchy and government easier to understand.
Common Sense circulated widely through print, public reading, taverns, and meeting places. Its influence is often discussed alongside the Declaration of Independence, but the pamphlet did not itself declare independence or serve as the Declaration’s legal substitute. The Declaration was debated and approved by the Second Continental Congress several months later.
The pamphlet’s original working title was Plain Truth, but Benjamin Rush suggested Common Sense. America’s 250th-anniversary observance looks back to the political arguments, publications, and institutions that shaped the independence movement in 1776.