The Tea Acts passed in 1773, and the Coercive Acts of 1774, did not help the already bleak relations between England and the colonies (Roark, 150-151). Already suffering under the control of their “motherland,” several elite class settlers were ready to take the plunge for independence by the time Common Sense was written (Paine, 1). Paine's pamphlet, however, was significant because it was not only aimed at the upper classes, but was instead accessible to settlers of any class. Common Sense was able to unite men such as farmers and artisans, doctors and lawyers under a single cause: political freedom from England. Paine uses the arguments of loyalists as well as those who are still undecided whether America should attempt to distance itself from Britain. With these arguments, he was able to tame the colonists' fears about independence and show them the advantages of America ruling over itself. For example, many of those who were concerned about the collapse of the American economy after separation from England were assured that “the