Times that tried men's souls

Common Sense, Thomas Paine's pro-independence monograph published anonymously in January 1776, spread quickly throughout literate colonists. As many as half a million copies are alleged to have been distributed throughout colonies which themselves totaled only a few million free inhabitants. This work convinced many average colonists, including George Washington, to seek redress in political independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. The work was greatly influenced (including its name - Paine had originally proposed the title Plain Truth) by the equally controversial pro-independence writer Benjamin Rush, and was instrumental in bringing about the Declaration of Independence.