In 2026, the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and communities across the country are reflecting on the people, ideas, and events that shaped the nation’s founding. While signers of the Declaration such as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Hancock are familiar to most Americans, one of the Revolution’s most influential figures never signed the Declaration at all: Thomas Paine.
Long before fireworks and barbeques and even before the Declaration of Independence, Paine helped to convince Americans that independence was worth fighting for. An English immigrant who arrived in Philadelphia in 1774, Paine quickly emerged as one of the most powerful voices for independence. In January 1776, he published Common Sense, a short pamphlet that transformed the political conversation. Rather than writing for lawmakers or philosophers, Paine addressed ordinary readers in clear, direct language. He argued that independence from Great Britain was both necessary and achievable, helping thousands of colonists imagine a new political future.
The pamphlet became a publishing sensation and Paine’s words spread rapidly through the American colonies. Some estimates suggest that Common Sense sold approximately 120,000 copies within its first few months, with many more read aloud in taverns, homes, and public meeting spaces, allowing Paine’s ideas to reach audiences far beyond those who could purchase or read a copy.
America’s Semiquincentennial invites us to remember that revolutions are driven not only by military victories, but also by ideas. In the early months of 1776, Paine’s Common Sense helped build the public opinion and momentum that made the Declaration possible. Before the Declaration announced that the colonies were “free and independent states,” Paine had persuaded many Americans that such a step was justified and urgent. His famous declaration, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again,” captured the revolutionary optimism of the moment.
Two hundred and fifty years later, Thomas Paine reminds us that the American Revolution was not only fought on battlefields: it was also won through the power of ideas, persuasion, and the printed word.
Join the ITPS all year long for free, public programs to mark this important anniversary.
