Common Sense. An Occasional Letter On The Female Sex

“People of a passive disposition look with some levity upon the wrongs of Britain, and, still hoping for the best, are apt to exclaim, ‘Well, well, we shall be friends again, in spite of all this.’ But examine the passions and feelings of mankind, test the doctrine of reconciliation by the touchstone of nature, and then tell me, can you continue to love, honor, and serve faithfully the government that brought fire and sword to your land?” wrote Thomas Paine, editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine, at the dawn of the American Revolution.

In his pamphlet, “Common Sense,” first published on January 10, 1776, yesterday’s subject of the British crown, who had emigrated to America only at the end of 1774, convinced Americans of the necessity of emancipation from the monarchical tyranny of England and the establishment of a government independent of the hypocritical and insatiable metropolis. Paine's pamphlet sold thousands of copies, went through twenty-five reprints in 1776 alone, and, according to researchers, became the first American bestseller.

Strong arguments, expressed in accessible language at a favorable moment, gave such a powerful impetus to the struggle for freedom of the American nation in the 18th century that the name of Thomas Paine is still mentioned in school history courses along with the founding fathers of the United States. After all, no one doubts: the author of "Common Sense" contributed to America's victory in the Revolutionary War no less than George Washington on the battlefield or Benjamin Franklin in the diplomatic arena.