Patriot Echoes – Exploring 250 years of patriot heritage.
- March 6, 1809, 217 years ago — Death of Thomas Heyward Jr..
- March 6, 1724, 302 years ago — Birth of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress.
- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
Common Sense
Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)
Introduction
Published anonymously on January 10, 1776, Common Sense by Thomas Paine became one of the most influential political writings in American history. In just a few months, it sold over 120,000 copies, reaching nearly 20% of the colonial population. Paine’s pamphlet reframed the colonial conflict not as a dispute over taxation, but as a moral and political imperative to break from monarchy and establish a republic.
Original Documents
- Common Sense Thomas Paine (1776).pdf (131 KB)
- Common Sense Thomas Paine (1776)_djvu.txt (122.6 KB)