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Edward J. Larson

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson is the author of “Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters.”

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Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published in 1776, helped galvanize colonial support for American independence. (Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Library of Congress / DeAgostini / DigiPub)

At 250, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” still matters

Edward J. Larson