Common Sense was first published in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, by printer Robert Bell.
Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet in 1775 and early 1776 as colonial resistance to Britain intensified. Benjamin Rush helped connect Paine with Bell, whose shop issued the first edition. The work initially appeared without Paine's name and used the signature an Englishman.
The pamphlet argued that monarchy and hereditary succession were unreasonable and that the American colonies should become an independent republic. Its accessible style made complicated political ideas understandable to readers outside elite political circles.
Common Sense is sometimes confused with The American Crisis, another Paine work. The American Crisis began appearing in December 1776, after the Declaration of Independence and during the military struggle. Common Sense belongs to the earlier debate that helped prepare public opinion for independence.