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Bunker Hill By Nathaniel Philbrick Sparknotes

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Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution, successfully enables his readers to grasp the significance behind Boston and its neighboring cities during the rise of the Revolutionary War. Most Americans have a vague understanding of why events like the Battle of Bunker Hill are relevant and how this particular campaign played a pinnacle role in leading up to the Revolutionary War, but Philbrick does a service to Americans by beautifully illustrating these events from cover to cover. Not only is each occasion intimately detailed, but Philbrick records these instances in a precise and memorable rhythm. Although at times his novel might appear exhausting with vivid imagery, Philbrick’s thesis remains clear: In the …show more content…

Instead of giving his audience a play-by-play of historical accounts, he chooses to introduce leaders that were involved in the events that led up to war. Philbrick grants his readers a new perspective of who these rebellious patriots were in a way that is almost refining. Not only does Philbrick honor the legacy each man left behind, but he includes a comprehensive analysis of their unique character qualities. For example, Philbrick introduces Dr. Joseph Warren, who "had the wisdom to guide and the power to charm (68)", and yet also "had a history of running through vast sums of money (89)". Philbrick identifies Dr. Joseph Warren as "the martyr of Bunker Hill," and although he could have taken the opportunity to centralize Warren's existence around the battle itself, he chose to accurately and intentionally convey Warren's notable leadership and genuine patriotism to his …show more content…

In the text, Philbrick's selection of primary sources serve to develop his thesis into multiple authentic and surreal accounts of differing perspectives between loyalists and patriots. In his focus on primary sources, Philbrick knits together firsthand accounts from various Bostonian residents such as John Adams and John Andrews with events leading up to the war. For the most part, reading each journal and firsthand documentary is refreshing, but there are various points when Philbrick's reliance upon certain accounts prove to be unnecessary and exhaustive. He references to countless sources, and while most were significant, many appeared to have miniscule relevance to the main takeaway. For instances, Philbrick purposed John Andrew's narrative to aid readers in understanding the context of everything taking place in Boston during the 1700's, but most of the information referring to Andrew's personal accounts and the British's evacuation appears

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