In 1776, revolution was fomented by Thomas Paine, who
wrote Common Sense; and by Abigail Adams, who advocated
women's rights.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Identify the central commitments of Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
Common Sense, a pro­revolutionary pamphlet written byThomas Paine, brought the subject of
independence and the ideas of republicanism into public discourse.
This work was extremely widely read in the year of its publication and bolstered enlistment in
the Continental Army.
Abigail Adams raised questions about the future role for women in the Republic and publicly
brought this issue to her husband John Adams during his participation in the Second Continental
Congress.
Paine donated the royalties from Common Sense to George Washington's Continental Army.
Abigail Adams asked John Adams to consider representation for women in the new republic.
TERMS [ edit ]
common sense
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that was published anonymously at the
beginning of the American Revolution.
Abigail Adams
November 22, 1744–October 28, 1818; the wife of John Adams, the second President of the
United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine (January 29, 1737 (NS February 9, 1737) – June 8, 1809) was an English­American
political activist, political theorist, and theologian. As the author of two highly influential
pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, he became one of the Founding Fathers of the
United States.
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Notable Figures of the Revolutionary Era
Beyond the Second Congress, many colonists shared concerns about British rule and what
independence would mean for the future. Thomas Paine and Abigail Adams were two
distinct, populist voices upholding the cause of independence at this time.
Thomas Paine
In January, 1776, Thomas Paine published a pro­independence pamphlet entitled Common
Sense, which became an overnight sensation. This work presented the American colonists
with an argument for freedom from British rule at a time when the question of independence
was still undecided.
To escape governmental censure for its treasonous content, Paine published Common
Sense anonymously. The pamphlet sold as many as 120,000 copies in the first three months,
500,000 in the first year, and went through twenty­five editions in the first year of
publication. Paine donated his royalties from Common Sense to George Washington's
Continental Army.
Though the themes of the pamphlet were familiar to the elitewho comprised Congress and
the leadership cadre of the emerging nation, Common Sense was a crucial tool for increasing
public discourse concerning independence. This pamphlet was responsible for broadly
disseminating the idea of republicanism, bolstering enthusiasm for separation from Britain,
and encouraging recruitment for the Continental Army.
Abigail Adams
Adams was an advocate of married women's property rightsand greater opportunity for
women, particularly in respect to education. Adams was particularly concerned about the
implications of independence for women.
Abigail Adams, by Benjamin Blythe, 1766
Abigail Adams was greatly concerned about the role of women in the new republic.
In March 1776, Adams addressed her husband, John Adams, and the Continental Congress
in a letter in which she requested that they, "remember the ladies, and be more generous and
favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of
the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and
attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold
ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation. "
Common Sense, 1776
Thomas Paine's widely read 46 page pamphlet effectively argued for independence.