In this episode of Dave Does History on Bill Mick Live, we head into the winter of 1775, a moment when America stood at the edge of decision but hadn’t yet taken the leap. The muskets had fired at Lexington and Concord. The King had declared the colonies in rebellion. But most Americans still clung to the hope of reconciliation.
That changed with the arrival of one powerful pamphlet. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense didn’t just argue for independence. It shattered illusions and gave people the courage to imagine something new.
In this hour, Dave breaks down how the burning of Falmouth, the creation of the Navy, and Paine’s words lit the fire that would become revolution. Through vivid storytelling and sharp insight, we see how a few pages of plainspoken truth helped transform hesitant subjects into determined patriots.
It wasn’t polite. It wasn’t easy. But it was, in the truest sense, common sense.
