Document · January 10, 1776
Common Sense
pamphlet · Thomas Paine
Read in context
Paine combined an attack on monarchy with a practical argument that independence offered security, commerce, and political possibility.
Why it matters
Its direct structure shows why Paine could make a radical position feel like plain sense without single-handedly creating the independence movement.
Selected passage
The period of debate is closed. Arms, as the last resource, decide the contest.