Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Mission Brief #28

🎯 Your mission

Figure out how this changed the world.

⚡ The twist

History is written by the winners — keep asking what's missing.

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Common Sense was a powerful pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776. In this influential piece, Paine urged the American colonists to break away from British rule and form their own government. He argued that it was common sense for the colonists to seek independence and that they could create a fair society based on equality and freedom.

Key facts

Remember these

1Thomas Paine published Common Sense in 1776.
2The pamphlet encouraged colonists to seek independence.
3It helped many people understand the idea of self-government.

Timeline

When it happened

1774
Thomas Paine arrives in Philadelphia from England
1776
Paine publishes Common Sense
1776
Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence

Then & Now

The choices made back then are why the world looks like this now.

Mind = blown

Colonial children often learned their letters from a hornbook: a wooden paddle holding one printed page under a thin, clear layer of animal horn.

Question 1 of 2

Who wrote the pamphlet Common Sense?

How sure?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

What did Common Sense encourage the colonists to do?

How sure?😐 maybe

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Next: Colonial Art, Music, and Literature All lessons

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🌍 Why this still matters: Every road sign, every flag, every holiday — there's history hiding inside.

🏆 Try this week: Ask a grown-up what the world looked like when they were your age.

👨‍👩‍👧 At dinner: “What's something from history you wish you could see in person?”

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