“A government of our own is our natural right; and when a man seriously reflects on the precariousness of human affairs, he will become convinced, that it is infinitely wiser and safer, to form a constitution of our own in a cool deliberate manner, while we have it in our power, than to trust such an interesting event to time and chance.”
-Common Sense, Thomas Paine
On January 10, 1776, the pamphlet “Common Sense” was first printed and distributed in the American colonies. Published anonymously, the public would not know it was authored by Thomas Paine until long after it had spread across the colonies, reprinted many times as a pamphlet and in newspapers.
“Common Sense” was first published in its entirety by a newspaper in the “Connecticut Courant, and Hartford Weekly Intelligencer” on February 19, 1776. An original copy of this newspaper can be found in the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.
“Common Sense” quickly became popular and was widely discussed across the colonies. The pamphlet argued that independence from Britain was the only logical choice for the colonies. Not everyone agreed with Paine’s sentiments, however, and newspapers were full of responses to the author. An article published in the “Virginia Gazette” poked fun at the title: “This piece, though it has taken a popular name, and implies that the contents are obvious, and adapted to the understandings of the bulk of the people, is so far from meriting the title it has assumed, that in my opinion it holds principles equally inconsistent with learned and common sense.”
Among the opposition to “Common Sense” was a new pamphlet by loyalist James Chalmers called “Plain Truth,” which he published under the name Candidus. “Plain Truth” argued against separation from Britain. An article in “Dunlap’s Pennsylvania Packet or The General Advertiser” found “Common Sense” to be the better of the two pamphlets: “If Common Sense in some places wanted polish, Plain Truth was covered over from head to foot with a detestable and stinking varnish.”
Another objector to “Common Sense” published their opinions in newspapers under the name of “Cato.” Yet Cato’s articles were also swiftly rebuffed by another author going by the name of “Cassandra,” again defending “Common Sense” and independence: “The people of Pennsylvania, I trust, will ever have the good sense to prefer COMMON SENSE to the appeals of any government tool, which may appear in defence [sic] of a union with those who know no law, human or divine, but the law of violence and murder….”
You can read “Common Sense” in full on the Library’s website. You can also find more colonial newspapers from 1776 through our website Chronicling America*.
Additional Resources:
- Read more about the 250th anniversary of events from the American Revolutionary War through Headlines and Heroes: America250.
- Read to the end of this blog post to find more information about special characters used in colonial newspapers.
- Learn more about the Library’s collection of 18th Century American Newspapers.
*The Chronicling America historic newspapers online collection is a product of the National Digital Newspaper Program and jointly sponsored by the Library and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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