A blunt, plainspoken pamphlet arguing that hereditary monarchy is absurd and that the American colonies must break from Britain and declare independence.
A New Naval History by John Entick: “[3] See Entic's naval history, intro. page 56.”
Political Disquisitions by James Burgh: “[4] Those who would fully understand of what great consequence a large and equal representation is to a state, should read Burgh's political disquisitions.”
The Address of the People of Great Britain to the Inhabitants of America by John Dalrymple: “Sir John Dalrymple, the putative father of a whining jesuitical piece, fallaciously called, "THE ADDRESS OF THE PEOPLE OF _ENGLAND_ TO THE INHABITANTS OF _AMERICA_," hath, perhaps, from a vain supposition, that the people here were to be frightened at the pomp and description of a king, given, (though very unwisely on his part) the real…”
The Ancient Testimony and Principles of the People Called Quakers by Religious Society of Friends: “To the Representatives of the Religious Society of the People called Quakers, or to so many of them as were concerned in publishing the late piece, entitled "THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY and PRINCIPLES of the People called QUAKERS renewed, with Respect to the KING and GOVERNMENT, and touching the COMMOTIONS now prevailing in these and other…”
Books that mention Common Sense (8)
Tono-Bungay by H. G. Wells: “So I read and understood the good sound rhetoric of Tom Paine's "Rights of Man," and his "Common Sense," excellent books, once praised by bishops and since sedulously lied about.”
The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine: “Soon after I had published the pamphlet COMMON SENSE, in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion.”
The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle: “Her Paine: rebellious Staymaker; unkempt; who feels that he, a single Needleman, did by his 'Common Sense' Pamphlet, free America;--that he can and will free all this World; perhaps even the other.”
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: “Thomas Paine, who had arrived in Philadelphia two years earlier, provided Hamilton with a perfect model when he anonymously published Common Sense.”
Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow: “those feelings which distinguish a civilized people from the most barbarous savages.”50 The conflict sharpened further on January 10, 1776, with the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, a landmark pamphlet that galvanized the colonies to seek outright independence.”
1776 by David McCullough: “This he attributed in good part to the pamphlet Common Sense, published earlier in the year, the author of which, Thomas Paine, was as yet unknown.”
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara: “he slips away and wedges the disc...between two books—a battered copy of Common Sense and a frayed edition of White Noise—on a low shelf”