Common Sense -- Thomas Paine Thomas Paine, one of the most influential writers of the American Revolution, wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense. In this short work, he incited and inspired American Patriots to declare independence from Great Britain. One author semi-jokingly called him a "corset maker by trade, a journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination" (PoemHunter.com, 2009). The work was one of the top best sellers of the time, (1776), causing Paine to be known in many ways as the Father of the American Revolution.

Putting oneself as a colonist living during the Revolutionary Period and reading and hearing about Paine's Common Sense is interesting. I believe that the key would be the place one was in society, how literate one was, and what one's job would be. For instance, someone from the privileged class may not agree with or even have any sympathy for any writings about breaking with the traditions of the Mother Country. Someone illiterate and a farmer may not even care, since regardless of whom governed, their lives remained similar. However, for the purposes of the essay, let us assume that I am the owner of an Inn in...

I have completed grammar school, but my Father was a minister, so am well-read in the classics and have ties to local governmental service.
In this case, Common Sense, would be quite important for me, not only to stay in tune with the pulse of the time, but also to be able to discuss the issues with guests of the inn, those who come to drink and eat, and my colleagues within the local township government. The power of the material was that it sounds very much like a sermon, a speech about what is right and wrong, and what individuals should do in order to follow the moral and ethical plan -- split with a country that is far away, and who is interested in the Colonies only for the resources and wealth that can be taken from us.

One of the things that makes Common Sense so powerful was that its author, Paine, was not some radical without experience in government and philosophy, but had a fine education, was involved in civic matters, and not only was an experienced and intellectual writer, but had lived in London, knew Benjamin Franklin, and was a part of British society in which he attempted reform even before…