431 Common Sense at 250: The Pamphlet That Sparked a Revolution

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

Society & Culture, History

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense turned a colonial rebellion into a full-blown revolution. But how did one pamphlet move so many minds in 1776—and why does it still matter 250 years later? To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Common Sense, historian and Director of the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona University, Nora Slonimsky, joins us to explore Paine’s life, the pamphlet’s explosive impact, and what this revolutionary text still teaches us about democracy, communication, and civic life. ITPS Website Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/403 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:06 Thomas Pain's Early Life and Influences00:05:53 The Institute for Thomas Paine Studies00:07:51 Thomas Paine as an English Excise Man00:13:34 Paine's Ideas for Reform of the British Government00:19:27 Reception of Paine's First Pamphlet00:21:48 Paine's Intellectual Life in England00:27:30 Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin00:31:44 Paine's Migration to Philadelphia00:35:55 Paine's View of the American Revolution00:39:15 The Story of Common Sense00:50:34 Measuring the Reach of Common Sense00:59:34 The Legacy of Common Sense and Thomas Paine01:02:54 Time Warp01:05:02 Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Common Sense01:08:17 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 127: American Enlightenments🎧 Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft🎧 Episode 144: The Common Cause🎧 Episode 156: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution🎧 Episode 243: Revolutionary Print Networks🎧 Episode 394: The Pursuit of HappinessSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:09.2	with the Institute for Thomas Payne Studies at Iona University.
1:12.6	The legacy of common sense, I think, is defined by an understanding that we are collectively in this together, that we as the nation, as different communities within this nation, are bound together, and that one singular person does not chart the course
1:30.7	of our civic duty, of our civic engagement, and our republic. We are all born to reign, right?
1:37.1	We are all born to collectively reign together. And I think that is a really singular thing to think
1:42.9	about as we consider the complicated and inspiring and challenging and messy and disappointing legacies of the revolution that strikes me as a really meaningful way to think about it.
2:14.4	Hello and welcome to episode 431 of Ben Franklin's World, the podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people and events of our early American past
2:18.1	have shaped the present day world we live in. And I'm your host, Liz Covart. On January 10, 1776,
2:26.6	an anonymous pamphlet burst onto the scene in Revolutionary America. Its message was plain,
2:31.8	its language was powerful, and its title was common sense.
	...

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