On Jan. 9, 1776, Thomas Paine published the pamphlet “Common Sense,” expounding his argument for American independence from Britain, though the work’s original attribution was simply “Written by an Englishman.” Born in England in 1737, Paine had immigrated to Philadelphia in 1774, just two years before his 47-page pamphlet sold some 500,000 copies, powerfully influencing American opinion.
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