Common Sense

Common Sense is political pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, arguing for the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain. The worked incorporated many enlightenment ideas like democratic egalitarian government, it found a very captive audience in the highly educated society of the American colonies. It was distributed widely and read aloud at taverns, coffee houses and public meeting places. The Thirteen Colonies were entering into a politically tumultuous period as relations with the mother country, Great Britain were beginning to sour. As an English colony, the inhabitants claimed the long running political traditions of public representation and individual liberty inherited from Manga Carta and more recently inspired by English enlightenment philosophers like John Locke. Due to the times, and the risk of treason involved, Common Sense has originally published anonymously under the nom de plume of 'an ENGLISHMAN'. Thomas Paine was an English born American citizen who had been helped in the immigration process by Benjamin Franklin. During the American revolution, Paine became the Secretary of the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs and participated in diplomatic missions abroad. His work went on to inspire French intellectuals in the French Revolution, which Paine was a supporter of. Common Sense remains one of the best-selling American title of all time.