Common Sense was a 48 page pamphlet published in January 1776 by Thomas Paine, initially written anonymously, it expounded on the reasons for favoring independence from England, to the common man. It had wide spread distribution with in a few months because it was speaking to the common man in a language they understood, during a time where the Battles of Lexington and Concord had already occurred. It served to persuade the undecided average citizen, who initially only wanted equal rights with the British, that they needed to fight for independence. Paine contributed all the money from its sell to Washington’s Continental Army. Paine wrote of England being an island trying to run a continent from a thousand miles away. He stated
