Thomas Paine published Common Sense in 1776 to argue for American independence, making it a key work in the America250 story.
The pamphlet appeared anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. Paine wrote in direct, accessible prose rather than the formal style common in political writing of the period. He attacked hereditary monarchy, criticized the political relationship with Britain, and presented independence as a practical and moral choice for the thirteen colonies.
Common Sense circulated widely and was frequently read aloud in homes, taverns, and meeting places. Its arguments helped make independence more acceptable to ordinary colonists before the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.
Paine later wrote The American Crisis, a separate series of pamphlets supporting the revolutionary cause during the war. Common Sense is also sometimes confused with the Federalist Papers, which were written later by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution.