Thomas Paine can perhaps in many ways be considered America's forgotten founding father. Names like Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin are far more prominent than Paine's little understood yet vital contributions to the nation's past and present political landscape. With a simple pamphlet, Paine was able to mobilize the majority of the nation to action against the world's most powerful empire at the time. The following articles discuss some of the significant content of Common Sense and the impact that the man's ideas had on a nation.