Common Sense

In 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense. His monograph inflamed its readers and ignited the American Revolution. Paine’s impassioned writing galvanized the libertarian movement for independence, not just from Britain but from coercive government in general.

As Craig Nelson writes, Paine “”was the biggest bestselling author of the eighteenth century.” The Age of Reason was the second-biggest bestseller. The Rights of Man was first, and Common Sense was third.

As a revolutionary pamphlet, and even as a piece of political philosophy, Common Sense is nearly unequaled in the history of the human race. It is passionate, sincere, and very persuasive.