Ead the following passage and answer the questions that follow. In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense; and have no other Preliminaries to settle with the reader, than that he will divest himself of prejudice and prepossession, and suffer his reason and his feelings to determine for themselves; that he will put ON, or rather that he will not put OFF the true character of a man, and generously enlarge his views beyond the present day.

—Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Based on the text, what was Paine’s purpose?
✔ to persuade
Based on the text, what did Paine hope to achieve through his writing?