Madison in South Central Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Thomas Paine
America 250 | Connecticut
Thomas Paine published Common Sense on January 10, 1776. This copy was printed in Norwich, CT.
The political pamphlet galvanized support for the revolution. In plain and persuasive prose, Paine an English-born colonist who had moved to Philadelphia in 1774 called for independence. Monarchy, Paine argued, was tyranny. A war against Britain, he argued, could be won. "The cause of America," he wrote, "is a great measure the cause of all mankind."
More than 100,000 copies of Common Sense were printed in 1776, at a time when the total population of the 13 colonies which was approximately 2.5 million making one of the most popular texts in America.
This copy was printed in late January or early February 1776, probably by the bookbinder Nathaniel Patten, and purchased by a resident of the West Farms or Pautipaug Ecclesiastical Societies which later incorporated as the town of Franklin, CT. It is bound in a 1769 edition of the New London Gazette. This affordable binding option suggests that the purchaser may have been lower class, though it also could have offered a way to disguise the radical pamphlet.
The pamphlet is in the Franklin, CT Historical Society.
Erected by Design
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Colonial Era • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the America 250 series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 10, 1776.
Location. 41° 17.436′ N, 72° 34.815′ W. Marker is in Madison in South Central Region, Connecticut. It can be reached from Connecticut Turnpike (Interstate 95 at milepost 62) west of Hammonasset Connector (Connecticut Route 450), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6443 Connecticut Turnpike, Madison CT 06443, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Connecticut River Valley, on the Connecticut Shoreline, and in Greater New Haven. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically,
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Phineas Meigs (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Brick Store (approx. one mile away); The Legend of Samson Rock (approx. 1.2 miles away); Madison (approx. 1.3 miles away); Lee's Academy (approx. 1.3 miles away); Frederick W. Lee, Esq (approx. 1.3 miles away); Memorial to World War II, Korea, and Vietnam Veterans (approx. 1.4 miles away); Monument to the Citizens of Madison (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Madison.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 3 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
