With half a million copies sold by the end of the American Revolution, "Common Sense" remains one of the best-selling works of all time relative to the U.S. population. (Bettmann Archive) The 2024 ...

Thomas Paine published “Common Sense” in 1776 as an argument for independence. Americans across the political spectrum have been citing it ever since. By Joseph Rezek Joseph Rezek is an associate ...

Will Donald Trump, who says he “runs the world” and approved a picture of himself with a crown above the caption “Long Live the King,” soon have Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet, “Common Sense,” banned.

The 2024 presidential election painted a dismal picture — a country split red and blue, a near-even divide, reminding us how fractured we’ve become. Despite this polarization, nearly three-quarters of ...

The 2024 presidential election painted a dismal picture — a country split red and blue, a near-even divide, reminding us how fractured we’ve become. Despite this polarization, nearly three-quarters of ...

This story originally published on Oct. 22, 2025. The idea of "common sense" has been central to American politics since the founding of the United States. Politicians still use the phrase all the ...

Log-in to bookmark & organize content - it's free! Actor Ian Ruskin highlights Thomas Paine's language in "Common Sense" through his portrayal of author. In 1774, Englishman Thomas Paine arrived in ...

As we approach July 4th in this age of social influencers, it is appropriate that we celebrate their prototype, the original and still the greatest American influencer: not Thomas Jefferson, but ...