Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, the 1776 pamphlet that promoted American independence before America250 commemorates it.
The pamphlet was published anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776, under the signature “an Englishman.” Paine used direct, accessible language to argue that the American colonies should break completely from Great Britain and establish a representative republic.
Common Sense quickly circulated through the Thirteen Colonies. It was sold in print shops, read aloud in public places, and discussed in homes and taverns, helping make independence a subject of popular debate before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
A common mix-up is confusing Common Sense with the Declaration of Independence. Paine wrote the pamphlet; Thomas Jefferson drafted most of the Declaration. Paine later served the revolutionary cause as an author of The American Crisis essays.