Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, the influential pamphlet published in 1776.
Paine released the work anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. Written in direct, accessible language rather than the formal style common in political essays, it attacked hereditary monarchy and argued that the American colonies should become independent from Great Britain.
Common Sense quickly became one of the most widely circulated publications in colonial America. Its arguments helped make independence more understandable and persuasive to ordinary readers, including people who were not members of political or intellectual circles.
The pamphlet appeared months before the Declaration of Independence. It did not itself declare independence or establish a government, but it helped shape the public debate that led the Continental Congress to adopt the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Paine later served the revolutionary cause through additional writings, including The American Crisis.