Station13
of 15January 1776
The Path to July 4th › Pillar 3: The Road to Rebellion › Station 13
Common Sense Is Published
January 1776
Your Mission
Thomas Paine had only lived in America since 1774. Yet his 47-page pamphlet Common Sense sold an estimated 100,000 copies in three months. He argued that monarchy itself was the problem, not just King George III.
Title page of the first edition of Common Sense by Thomas Paine.
Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. Philadelphia: R. Bell, 1776.
Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Public domain.
Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. Philadelphia: R. Bell, 1776.
Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Public domain.
Your Challenge
Why do you think a pamphlet written in plain, everyday language was so powerful at this particular moment? Who could it reach that formal political documents could not?
Record your answer on your notebook paper.
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Find the title of Thomas Paine’s most famous pamphlet on this page. Circle both words and write them together on your map as one clue.
The Path to July 4th: Historical Scavenger Hunt | © Kara Carrero, EGP Media and Press, LLC | karacarrero.com