What is Common Sense (pamphlet)?
{{Italic title}} [[File:Commonsense.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Common Sense'' by Thomas Paine]] '''''Common Sense''''' is a [[pamphlet]] (short book) written by [[Thomas Paine]]. It was first published on January 10, 1776. Paine wrote the pamphlet to change the minds of people who wanted to [[Peace|peacefully]] settle their differences with the [[Britain|British]] government to fight for [[independence]] instead. The pamphlet said that the British government and other European monarchies were [[tyranny|tyrannical]], meaning they did not acknowledge the rights of people. Paine called the pamphlet ''Common Sense'' because he wrote that it was against common sense for an island to rule a larger nation. Therefore, the colonies should overthrow the British government. The pamphlet was one of the bestselling works of the 18th century in America. Thomas Paine wrote in a style that was easy for most people to understand, instead of the hard to understand writing common in the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment Era]]. He also referenced the [[Bible]] and used [[wikt:idiom|idioms]] that many of the [[Protestant]] colonists understood. The [[wikt:document|document]] was an important part of the [[American Revolutionary War]]. It lead to the [[Declaration of Independence]], which the [[Continental Congress|Second Continental Congress]] wrote and signed into law later that year. ''Common Sense'' helped by creating mass support. and it was published in 1776 {{wikisource}} {{wikiquote}} [[Category:American Revolutionary War]] [[Category:1776]] [[Category:1770s books]] {{multistub|US|hist|lit}}