Thomas Paine wrote the 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, which argued for American independence.
Paine published the pamphlet anonymously in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. Written in direct, accessible language rather than the formal style common in political essays, it challenged monarchy and hereditary rule and argued that the American colonies should break completely from Great Britain.
Common Sense became one of the most influential political publications in colonial America. Its first edition sold widely, and subsequent editions circulated throughout the colonies. The pamphlet helped make independence a subject of popular debate before the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Paine later served the revolutionary cause in other ways, including writing The American Crisis papers. A common mix-up is attributing Common Sense to Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson; both were major figures of the era, but Paine was its author.