Summary Of 1776 By David Mccullough

Kendall Dionisio

BUS 140

Dr. John Dunn

March 8, 2016

1776 Critical Review

1776 by David McCullough, published in 2005, is one of the few novels to accurately depict the timeline during the years leading up to the American Revolution. After reading this novel, I found that the author may have written this book for several reasons. The first of which was to provide a historical account during this time period, and to shed some light on the main events that led up to, and constituted, the revolution. The other important purpose of this work, I found, was to reveal the true importance of George Washington and his impact on the American Revolution, how his leadership was a huge affect in America winning. This aspect of the book can be seen by the

The book detailed Washington’s army as, “undisciplined, inexperienced, poorly armed, and poorly equipped” (152). His army was poorly compared to the British army who was, “far better trained, better disciplined, better equipped” (166). One of the main reasons for this was because Washington’s army was made up of much younger men, some who were as young as fifteen years old. Many had no military experience whatsoever. The American army also did not have the supplies and the equipment that the British army had, based on the local economy at the time. They had no uniforms, just the clothes off their backs and some farming tools that they used as weapons. This war came down to be the experienced versus the inexperienced. McCullough’s main idea is that although the American revolutionists were underestimated in both its political and military capabilities, they had the “phenomenal courage and bedrock devotion,” (294) to win the fight for their country and freedom. Besides the fact that Washington is the main character of the book, the way he is described and the thoughts behind his words prove his character development. During the entire book, Washington faces a lot of physical problems that affect his responsibility over many American lives. He makes many mistakes along the way and displays many emotional struggles. Despite his struggles, he continues to believe that eventually the

This book is not just a simple summary of facts, but presented more in an unbiased manner. McCullough states his own personal opinions at some points in the novel, but his assumptions were based on concise facts and research that he provides within the novel as well. Another good indicator that a writer is attempting to provide an unbiased account of a certain subject is if he or she is willing to look at both sides of the story. This is seen to a great extent when McCullough writes, “Washington, in his formal orders called them the ‘Troops of the United Province of North America.’ Privately, he described the, as the ‘raw materials’ for an army. To the British and those Loyalists who had taken refuge in Boston, they were simply ‘the rebels,’ or ‘the country people,’ undeserving the words ‘American’ or ‘army,’” (24). The author attempts to provide direct quotes from both sides of the argument, allowing the reader to develop his or her own