Summary Of 1776 By David Mccullough

David McCullough, 1776, New York, Simon & Schuster, 2005. 386 Many people view the year 1776 as the year in which the colonists finally became united under a common belief, independence from Great Britain, and that it was the year of American greatness. While that is true in some regards, many people do not understand the trials and tribulations the American army faced that first year. McCullough, through his writing in the book, 1776, is able to describe another outlook of that year. The idea, not of American greatness, but one of the suffering, loss, and the doubt that plagued many in the army that first year.
McCullough’s main points in the first part of the book mainly focus on the differences between the American army and the British

Once there, they constructed what they thought to be a strong defense/fortifications throughout the colony, in places like Long Island and Brooklyn. The British arrived in August, and they quickly proved that the American’s defenses were no match for the power of British weaponry or the skill of their army. The Americans had no choice but to retreat under the cover of darkness out of Long Island and Brooklyn. The Americans faced a great deal of casualties. These losses were a crushing blow to the army’s overall morale, and had many questioning the ability of their leader, George Washington. Washington was even beginning to doubt himself.
By the end of November, the British were able to completely push the Americans out of New York for good after American losses at Kips Bay and the British capture of Fort Washington. What was left of the humiliated American army fled to Pennsylvania. The British army, thinking the war was all but won, decided on a ceasefire until the spring of 1777. They then settled in New York while also placing Hessian troops throughout New

Unlike many nonfiction authors who use a dry and almost omnipotent style of writing, McCullough uses a conversational tone that makes the book easier to read and comprehend. Instead of feeling like the author is throwing all this information at the reader, he writes as if he is telling it like a story that keeps a reader wanting more.
As if the descriptions McCullough uses are not enough to picture what it was like during this time in history, he includes different sections of pictures throughout the book, such as portraits of George Washington, Nathanael Greene, and Henry Knox. He also includes a variety of maps from the time period these include maps from the battles of Boston, Brooklyn, and Trenton. By McCullough including these images, the reader is then able to have an understanding of the lay of the land during the battles described in the