Common Sense (Paperback)

Paperback. When Common Sense was published in January 1776, it sold, by some estimates, a stunning 150,000 copies in the colonies. What exactly made this pamphlet so appealing? This is a question not only about the state of mind of Paines audience, but also about the role of public opinion and debate, the function of the press, and the shape of political culture in the colonies.This Broadview edition of Paines famous pamphlet attempts to reconstruct the context in which it appeared and to recapture the energy and passion of the dispute over the political future of the British colonies in North America. Included along with the text of Common Sense are some of the contemporary arguments for and against the Revolution by John Dickinson, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson; materials from the debate that followed the pamphlets publication showing the difficulty of the choices facing the colonists; the Declaration of Independence; and the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776. Edward Larkins new edition of Common Sense will be welcomed by readers. This should become the definitive new edition of Paines classic tract. Richard Boyd, University of Wisconsin-Madison Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.