Common Sense

"Common Sense" is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Written in clear and persuasive prose, Paine marshalled moral and political arguments to encourage common people in the Colonies to fight for egalitarian government.


It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution, and became an immediate sensation. It was sold and distributed widely and read aloud at taverns and meeting places. In proportion to the population of the colonies at that time (2.5 million), it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history.


As of 2006, it remains the all-time best-selling American title, and is still in print today. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an English-American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary, one of the founding fathers of the United States.