Common Sense
Thomas Paine1776
Paine wrote the pamphlet that convinced ordinary Americans to support independence from Britain.
political pamphletEnglishaccessibleshort · ~2.0h
Influence
6.0/10
Popularity
6.5/10
“These are the times that try men's souls.”
Why It Matters
Paine wrote the pamphlet that convinced ordinary Americans to support independence from Britain. In three months, it sold more copies per capita than any American book before or since. Common Sense proved that political arguments written in plain language for regular people could change history — and it did.
Notable Quotes
“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.”
“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil.”