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Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, during the American Revolution. Common Sense presented the American colonists with an argument for independence from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided. Paine wrote and reasoned in a style that common people understood; forgoing the philosophy and Latin references used by Enlightenment era writers, Paine structured Common Sense like a sermon...

More than any other single man, George Washington was responsible for bringing success to the American Revolution. But because of the heroic image in which we have cast him and which already enveloped him in this own lifetime, Washington is and was a hard man to know.In this book Edmund S. Morgan pushes past the image to find the man. He argues that Washington's genius lay in his understanding of both military and political power. This understanding of power was un...

Revolutionary America, 1763–1815: A Sourcebook is a collection of dynamic primary sources intended to accompany the second edition of Revolutionary America, 1763-1815: A Political History. While the structure of the collection parallels the textbook, either can be used independently as well. Each chapter contains excerpts of crucial documents from the Revolutionary period, and begins with a brief introduction. A companion website holds the full text of all excerpted docum...

This first volume of Great Issues in American History -- three volumes of documents that cover the history of America from its settlement to the present -- gives us a generous sampling from the major political controversies in the Colonial period. Included are such documents as Richard Hakluyt's "Discourse of Western Planting" (1584), "Letter from Christopher Columbus to the King and Queen of Spain" (undated, probably 1694), "The Third Virginia Charter" (1612), Thomas Paine's "Common Sense...

An easy-to-understand adaptation of Paine's revolutionary pamphlet, plus insights on colonial history, life, and culture.The Declaration of Independence may have severed political bonds with England, but it was Thomas Paine's dynamic pamphlet, "Common Sense," that conceptualized the idea of unity and freedom months before Thomas Jefferson put pen to parchment. Paine's publication energized colonists to embark on a long and bloody war that imperiled their livelihoods...

No matter who you identify with—Democrat or Republican, Tea Party or Green Party, Independent or something else altogether—we the people should read:The Constitution of the United States of AmericaThe Bill of Rights and all of the AmendmentsThe Declaration of IndependenceThe Articles of ConfederationTake a moment or two to reflect on the words of our forefathers, as these are the documents that literally created America. The Consti...

Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–76 that inspired men and women in the Thirteen Colonies to declare and fight for independence from Great Britain in the summer of 1776. In clear, concise language it explained the advantages of and the need for immediate independence. It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution and became an immediate sensation. It was sold and distributed widely and read aloud at taverns and meetin...

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 (April 2, 1743 O.S.) – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States (1801–1809). At the beginning of the American Revolution, he served in the Continental Congress, representing Virginia and then served as a wartime Governor of Virginia (1779–1781). Just after the war ended, from mid-1784 Jefferson served as a diplomat, stationed in Paris. ...

Acclaimed historian Gordon S. Wood presents the second volume in a stunning collection of British and American pamphlets from the political debate that divided an empire—and created a nationIn 1764, in the wake of its triumph in the Seven Years War, Great Britain possessed the largest and most powerful empire the world had seen since the fall of Rome and its North American colonists were justly proud of their vital place within this global colossus. Just twelve sho...

What does it mean to think, believe, and act like an American? Get the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other important United States historical documents all in one book!The soul of America is far more than a concept—it is a people. Even the most sacred principles mean very little unless lived out passionately by an informed citizenry. In The Portable Patriot you'll find a carefully assembled sampling of American hist...

Document from 1670 that begins: ""CHARLES THE SECOND, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To ALL to whom these Presents shall come, greeting: WHEREAS Our dear and entirely beloved Cousin, Prince Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria and Cumberland, &c. Christopher, Duke of Albemarle, William, Earl of Craven, Henry, Lord Arlington, Anthony, Lord Ashley, Sir John Robinson, and Sir Robert Vyner, Knights and Baronets, S...