What effect did common sense have in the colonies? a. it instilled fear of war in the colonists. b. it convinced the colonies to remain loyal to great britain. c. it persuaded many colonists that america should be independent. d. it petitioned the king to end the quarrel between the colonies and great britain.

The correct answer is C. as it did convince a lot of colonists that they had to be independent. Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" is one of the most influential writings in the US history as it stirred the revolutionary spirit in the colonies. They say that one third of the population was for the independence, one third was not and one third did not know what to think.With this pamphlet they finally knew.