Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, the 1776 pamphlet that encouraged American independence during the America250 founding era.
Paine published the pamphlet anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. Written in direct, accessible language, it challenged monarchy and hereditary rule while arguing that the American colonies should break completely from Britain rather than seek reconciliation.
Common Sense became one of the most influential political publications in colonial America. Its sales were extraordinary for the period, with hundreds of thousands of copies circulating among a population of roughly 2.5 million. George Washington praised its influence on the revolutionary cause.
The pamphlet is sometimes confused with Paine’s later work, The American Crisis, a series of writings that began in December 1776. Common Sense made the case for independence before the Declaration was adopted, while The American Crisis sought to sustain morale during the war.