Thomas Paine authored the 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, an influential work in America's independence movement.
Published anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, the 47-page pamphlet argued that the American colonies should seek complete independence from Great Britain. Paine used direct language aimed at ordinary readers rather than only colonial officials or scholars.
Common Sense became an immediate sensation. It was sold widely, read aloud in taverns and meeting places, and helped make independence a more widely discussed political goal before the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Paine donated the copyright, so he did not personally profit from its popularity.
A common mix-up is confusing Common Sense with Paine's later pamphlet series The American Crisis. Benjamin Rush suggested the title Common Sense, while Paine had reportedly considered calling the work Plain Truth. Its influence forms part of the revolutionary background remembered in America's 250th-anniversary story.