Common Sense: The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings

Common sense is a 67-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine between 1775 and 1776, advocating people from the independence of Britain to the thirteen colonies. Paine wrote clear and persuasive prose, arranging moral and political arguments to encourage the common people of the colonies to fight for an equal government. The book was published anonymously at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War on January 10, 1776, and caused an immediate sensation.It is widely sold and distributed, and read aloud in pubs and conference venues. Compared with the population ratio of the colony at that time (2.5 million), its sales and circulation are the largest in American history. As of 2006, it is still the best-selling American title of all time, and it is still in print today.Common sense makes the public feel persuasive and impassioned about independence, but it has not yet been seriously considered.