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Paine
1776
The pamphlet that talked a continent into a revolution.
Common Sense
Thomas Paine · 1776
In January 1776, most American colonists still hoped for reconciliation with Britain. Paine's pamphlet — plainly written, aggressively argued, sold for pennies — helped turn that hope into a demand for outright independence within months. It remains a case study in how a short, deliberately unpretentious argument, aimed past the elite at ordinary readers, can move a country faster than any formal treatise.
6 chapters · 21,558 words · ~1.6 hr read
Contents
The Argument
Paine's introduction and his case against monarchy and hereditary rule in principle, before the argument turns to America specifically.
The Case for Independence
Paine's argument for American independence specifically, his concrete proposal for a new government, and his 1776 Appendix answering the King's speech and the Quaker objection.