Common sense will tell us, that the power which hath endeavoured to subdue us, is of all others, the most improper to defend us. Conquest may be effected under the pretence of friendship; and …

Presented here is the full text of Common Sense from the third edition (published a month after the initial pamphlet), plus the edition Appendix, now considered an integral part of the pamphlet’s impact.

Common Sense[a] is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive …

On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine ’s, Common Sense was published and became America’s first best-seller with some 120,000 copies sold in less than three months. Within a year of its publication, …

Jan 9, 2026 · 250 years ago, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” was published and went viral across the American colonies. Published in newspapers and heavily debated, this work of the …

Common Sense was first published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776 and is regarded by many as the most important piece of writing of the American Revolution.

Jan 10, 2026 · Carter issued reprinted Rhode Island editions of Common Sense in 1776. These printings helped spread Paine’s arguments throughout New England. In the eighteenth century, printing was …

Jul 1, 1994 · "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine is a pamphlet published in January 1776 advocating independence from Great Britain for the Thirteen Colonies. Written in clear, persuasive prose, Paine …

A short summary of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Common Sense.

Why did Paine write Common Sense, and what exactly does the pamphlet say? Before we offer an analysis of this landmark text, here’s a summary of Paine’s argument.