Common Sense

by Thomas Paine

Common Sense by Thomas Paine is a groundbreaking pamphlet that played a pivotal role in shaping the political landscape of the American Revolution. Published in 1776, Paine's impassioned call for independence from British rule resonated with colonists across the thirteen colonies, galvanizing support for the revolutionary cause. In clear and persuasive language, Paine argues for the natural right of the American colonies to govern themselves and break free from the tyranny of British monarchy. He articulates the principles of democracy, liberty, and equality, laying the foundation for the Declaration of Independence and inspiring generations of Americans to fight for their freedom. Common Sense remains a timeless manifesto of political activism and a testament to the power of ordinary citizens to effect change in the face of oppression.

72 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

Thomas Paine was an English-American political activist, author, political theorist and revolutionary. As the author of two highly influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, he inspired the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era rhetoric of transnational human rights. He has been called "a corset maker by trade, a journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination".

Born in Thetford, England, in the county of Norfolk, Paine emigrated to the British American colonies in 1774 with the help of Benjamin Franklin, arriving just in time to participate in the American Revolution. His principal contributions were the powerful, widely read pamphlet Common Sense (1776), the all-time best-selling American book that advocated colonial America's independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and The American Crisis (1776–83), a pro-revolutionary pamphlet series. Common Sense was so influential that John Adams said, "Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain."

Paine lived in France for most of the 1790s, becoming deeply involved in the French Revolution. He wrote the Rights of Man (1791), in part a defence of the French Revolution against its critics. His attacks on British writer Edmund Burke led to a trial and conviction in absentia in 1792 for the crime of seditious libel. In 1792, despite not being able to speak French, he was elected to the French National Convention. The Girondists regarded him as an ally. Consequently, the Montagnards, especially Robespierre, regarded him as an enemy.

In December 1793, he was arrested and imprisoned in Paris, then released in 1794. He became notorious because of his pamphlet The Age of Reason (1793–94), in which he advocated deism, promoted reason and freethinking, and argued against institutionalized religion in general and Christian doctrine in particular. He also wrote the pamphlet Agrarian Justice (1795), discussing the origins of property, and introduced the concept of a guaranteed minimum income. In 1802, he returned to America where he died on June 8, 1809. Only six people attended his funeral as he had been ostracized for his ridicule of Christianity.

Reviews

[Dylan Winchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is for the actual physical copy of the book rather than for the pamphlet because tf you mean “review Common Sense?”

I will say that you can see the bones of American Empire extremely well in this. What was meant to serve the social purpose of supporting a side in a present political debate subsequently became, by virtue of its erudition, a manifesto of an American national destiny. It shows you the limits of possibilities that people making new and historic decisions were faced with, and how they broke them both nobly and in support of deep-rooted self interest and vanity. Reading this back then must have been a revelation that warranted its wide publication for many people: reading it in hindsight is a terrifying look back into the consciously fabricated mythology of the birth of an empire.

[Jessiikk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this! TODAY!

Today's world needs a new age Common Sense to be mass distributed to everyone in the USA.