This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Common Sense and Thomas Paine Sparked American Independence
A historical overview traces how Common Sense by Thomas Paine, published in Philadelphia January 9, 1776, galvanized colonial support for independence. It details Paine’s life as an English-born corset maker turned excise collector, his arrival in America, and his later role in revolutionary writing and political shifts, including work in France and his controversial legacy in the United States.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Abe Esas
Byear-old
Thomas Paine
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Philadelphia
Thetford
Robert Aitken
Pennsylvania
Continental Congress
Paine
Concord
Lexington
Robespierre
Danton
Marat
America
Alemic
George Washington