In this episode of Creating America: The Documents and Speeches That Shaped the United States, host and narrator Will Sarris continues the dramatic reading of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, one of the most influential pamphlets in American history.
We hear Part IV: “Of the Present Ability of America; with Some Miscellaneous Reflections,” along with the Appendix to Common Sense, in which Paine delivers a forceful, wide-ranging argument for American independence. From military readiness and naval power to economics, governance, religion, representation, and national character, Paine lays out why the moment for independence is not coming—it is already here.
Written to be heard rather than read, Common Sense was originally consumed aloud by a largely illiterate population. In keeping with that tradition, this podcast presents Paine’s words as a living performance, allowing modern listeners to experience the urgency, logic, and passion that helped ignite the American Revolution.
This episode follows the previous readings of:
- “Of the Present Ability of America: with Some Miscellaneous Reflections"
- "Appendix to Common Sense"
Whether inspirational, provocative, or unsettling, these founding-era texts reveal not only what America was—but what it aspired to become.
About the Podcast
Creating America is a narrated American history podcast dedicated to reading and preserving the documents and speeches that shaped the United States, from famous texts to nearly forgotten works.
Host: Will Sarris
📩 Contact: CreatingAmericaPod@gmail.com
💬 Support the show: patreon.com/williamsarris
🌐 More about Will: williamsarris.net
Bluesky:
Reply on Bluesky
Episode 5