Common Sense by Thomas Paine is a very influential piece of literature and laid down the facts, making people want to claim their independence from Great Britain. Many people who were undecided during this time also ended up wanting to become independent from Great Britain after reading Common Sense.
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to be very persuasive. To start Common Sense off, Thomas Paine writes, "In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense..." This was very simple and appealed to people who maybe didn't know if they would be smart enough to read his work. Paine assures them that everything he writes about is simple and plain, with common sense.
Paine goes on later to say how they don't need Great Britain to flourish and they can be entirely independent on their own. He believes that people who think they are depending on Great Britain and really need them are incorrect and the facts prove them to be wrong.
By Thomas Paine writing Common Sense, many people started to realize they could in fact be independent. In just a couple of months, Common Sense sold a hundred thousand copies. It also helped influence the Declaration of Independence.