Summarized by Rosie the Riveter
Historical and Biographical Note:
The pamphlet Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine in 1775 and first published in Philadelphia on January 9, 1776. Many consider it the most successful piece of propaganda ever written in the United States. Many consider that it reflected the opinions of many colonists at that time and also served to galvanize the opinions of many, and make real the idea that the colonies should indeed be separate from England and should indeed be an independent nation.
He points out why a monarchy should not be followed, and advocates the necessary separation from Britain. It recommends a Declaration of Independence, which followed on July 4, 1776, six months after the appearance of Common Sense. There are those who feel that without Paine and this small pamphlet there would not have been created in so many colonists such a burning desire to separate from England, and a willingness to risk their “lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor” to achieve independence.