Final answer:
Thomas Paine's Common Sense is best characterized as an argumentative text that utilized simple language to persuade colonists to support independence from Britain. It contributed significantly to the revolutionary sentiment and the creation of the Declaration of Independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pamphlet Common Sense by Thomas Paine played a pivotal role in the American Revolution. Written in a straightforward and persuasive tone, it falls under the category of argumentative texts. Paine’s writing, though based on informative content, was designed to persuade the average colonist of the necessity for independence from Great Britain. His rhetoric in Common Sense was powerful because it presented "simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense" solutions, making the case for liberty and the rejection of monarchy. Paine outlined reasons why the American colonies should form a republican government, emphasizing the principle that all humans are equal and highlighting the British government’s failure to serve the colonies’ interests.
This pamphlet captured the attention of both the mercantile class and the philosophically inclined citizens, illustrating how the British government stifled the colonies' economic development and ignored their duty to the people.
Common Sense ultimately strengthened the argument for independence, aiding in the shift in sentiment within the Continental Congress, and the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.