Common Sense paved the way for the Declaration by blending idealism with economic grievance

Evidence

Enormously popular and widely read pamphlet, first published in January of 1776, clearly and persuasively argues for American separation from Great Britain and paves the way for the Declaration of Independence. This highly influential landmark document attacks the monarchy, cites the evils of government and combines idealism with practical economic concerns. — Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, 58

Categorization

• XREF: Explicitly names the Declaration of Independence as the document this pamphlet leads into — the course’s founding text.
• SEED: Angle: how pamphlet rhetoric fused moral idealism with pocketbook grievance to build revolutionary consensus.