The radical pamphlet that helped incite the American Revolution<\/b><\/p>\n
Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and\u2014above all\u2014essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of\u00a0The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution<\/i>, draws together the great texts of American civic life to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. Whether readers are encountering these classic writings for the first time, or brushing up in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, these slim volumes will serve as a powerful and illuminating resource for scholars, students, and civic-minded citizens.<\/p>\n
Common Sense<\/b><\/i>\u00a0is the book that created the modern United States, as Paine’s incendiary call for Americans to revolt against British rule converted millions to the cause of independence and set out a vision of a just society. Published anonymously in 1776, six months before the Declaration of Independence,\u00a0Common Sense<\/i>\u00a0was a radical and impassioned call for America to free itself and set up an independent republican government. Savagely attacking hereditary kingship and aristocratic institutions, Paine urged a new beginning for his adopted country in which personal freedom and social equality would be upheld and economic and cultural progress encouraged. His pamphlet was the first to speak directly to a mass audience\u2014it went through fifty-six editions within a year of publication\u2014and its assertive and often caustic style embodied the democratic spirit he advocated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_cat":[688,682],"product_tag":[],"composite_virtual":false,"composite_layout":"","composite_add_to_cart_form_location":"","composite_editable_in_cart":false,"composite_sold_individually_context":"","composite_shop_price_calc":"","composite_components":[],"composite_scenarios":[],"bundled_by":["20137"],"bundle_stock_status":"instock","bundle_stock_quantity":null,"bundle_virtual":false,"bundle_layout":"","bundle_add_to_cart_form_location":"","bundle_editable_in_cart":false,"bundle_sold_individually_context":"","bundle_item_grouping":"","bundle_min_size":"","bundle_max_size":"","bundled_items":[],"bundle_sell_ids":[],"yoast_head":"\n