Question

What inspired many colonist to support independence from Britain?

Answer 1

Common Sense by Thomas Paine.

Explanation:

Thomas Paine was a very prominent figure during this time, he encouraged many people to stand up against Great Britain and want independence because of his literary works, primarily Common Sense.

Before Paine became a writer, he failed at almost everything he tried. He dropped out of school and lost many jobs, then he met Benjamin Franklin who encouraged Paine and gave him hope. He eventually moved to the colonies and became a magazine editor, but after the Battle of Lexington, he became very passionate about the colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain.

Common Sense was very long, but was easily worded and revolved around "facts and common sense", that made many people care to read it. It talked about how the colonies need to wake up and have their independence, as they were not being treated fairly by Great Britain. Common Sense sold a ton of copies and many people credit it for inspiring the colonists for supporting their own independence.