Common Sense (pamphlet)

Common Sense is a pamphlet (or a short book) written by Thomas Paine that was published on January 10, 1776. Paine wrote the pamphlet to change the minds of the Americans who wanted a peaceful settlement of their differences with the British government so that they would fight for independence. 

The pamphlet said that the British government and other European monarchies were tyrannical and did not acknowledge the rights of their people. Paine called the pamphlet Common Sense because he thought that it was against common sense for an island to rule a larger nation. Therefore, the American colonies should fight for independence from Britain.

The pamphlet was one of the bestselling 18th-century works in America. Paine wrote in a style that was easy for most people to understand, instead of the difficult writing that was common during the Age of Enlightenment. He also referred to the Bible and used idioms that many of the Protestant colonists would understand.

The document was an important part of the American Revolutionary War. It led to the Declaration of Independence, which the Second Continental Congress wrote and passed later that year. Common Sense helped the revolution by helping to create mass support for it and change peoples minds.

Category:American Revolutionary War
Category:1776
Category:1770s books