Such influential ideas were expressed through orators such as Patrick Henry and his famous "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech, declaring that Virginia is preparing for war against the British crown [19]. Other influential works were written by anonymous writers with a grudge against British rule. Thomas Paine's Common Sense was widely known, selling over “half a million copies” after its publication in January 1776 [18] listing reasons why the English had no right to continue to control them. Both works, and many others, urged American colonists to fight for their freedom, independence, and equality, which their brothers in Europe were experiencing at the time.