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Common Sense

Declarations, Manifestos and Political Essays

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Common Sense is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775 and 1776 advocating independence from Great Britain for the people of the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine gathered moral and political arguments meant to encourage ordinary colonists to fight for an egalitarian government. It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the outset of the American Revolution, and became an immediate sensation.

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