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In this stirring book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have ... more »amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

Here also is the Revolution as experienced by American Loyalists, Hessian mercenaries, politicians, preachers, traitors, spies, men and women of all kinds caught in the paths of war.

At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books -- Nathanael Greene, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of winter.

But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle.

The book begins in London on October 26, 1775, when His Majesty King George III went before Parliament to declare America in rebellion and to affirm his resolve to crush it. From there the story moves to the Siege of Boston and its astonishing outcome, then to New York, where British ships and British troops appear in numbers never imagined and the newly proclaimed Continental Army confronts the enemy for the first time. David McCullough's vivid rendering of the Battle of Brooklyn and the daring American escape that followed is a part of the book few readers will ever forget.

As the crucial weeks pass, defeat follows defeat, and in the long retreat across New Jersey, all hope seems gone, until Washington launches the "brilliant stroke" that will change history.

The darkest hours of that tumultuous year were as dark as any Americans have known. Especially in our own tumultuous time, 1776 is powerful testimony to how much is owed to a rare few in that brave founding epoch, and what a miracle it was that things turned out as they did.

Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

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ISBN-13: 9780743226714 ISBN-10: 0743226712 Publication Date: 5/24/2005 Pages: 400 Rating: Currently 4/5 Stars. 205 4 stars, based on 205 ratings	Publisher: Simon Schuster Book Type: Hardcover Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD Members Wishing: 2 Reviews: Member \| Amazon \| Write a Review

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Top Member Book Reviews

Currently 5/5 Stars.

Patty P. (Patouie) - Santa Rosa, CA reviewed 1776 on 8/13/2007 + 121 more book reviews

11 member(s) found this review helpful.

When we learn about the Revolutionary War in school, it seems like a logical progression with democracy as the inevitable result. But when one is living in a historic time, one moment follows another, and everything could change at any time. The outcome is not sure.

McCullough writes as if the year 1776 is a work in progress. I find his style memorable and delightful. As I finished the book, I was thinking, "I don't know which side is actually going to win the war!" Although I've read a lot of American history, McCullough made me feel I was right there, looking over their shoulders, wondering what might happen next.

Currently 5/5 Stars.

Angela S. (readabk) reviewed 1776 on 3/31/2007 + 78 more book reviews

5 member(s) found this review helpful.

Even if you don't enjoy historical non-fiction, you will love this book. Written in a narrative style with quotes from historical figures mixed in. Perfect for the average reader!

Currently 5/5 Stars.

Sherri H. (mamadoodle) - Rome, GA reviewed 1776 on 3/13/2006 + 1085 more book reviews

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Fantastic book. Could not put it down once I started!

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Currently 5/5 Stars.

Matt L. reviewed 1776 on 7/25/2011

Fantastic brief summary of a "slice" of the Revolutionary War. I was already a fan of David McCullough's work and this was excellent as per his usual. I would strongly encourage this book as an introduction to American history (his book John Adams does it much better but in a GREATLY expanded format). Great concept - the book just takes a slice of history (1776)and jumps in there to tell the story of the Revolution. It is obviously just a small part of the whole story, but a pretty darn important part. I would call this light reading (probably the only book I have ever intentionally read twice) as it is immensely readable.

Currently 4/5 Stars.

Todd P. (toddpeperkorn) reviewed 1776 on 9/29/2009

Great book. Tells the story and brings it to life in a way that only McCollough seems to pull off.

Currently 4/5 Stars.

Clara W. (MaGee) - WI reviewed 1776 on 11/9/2008 + 36 more book reviews

1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed and the beginning of the Revolutionary War, but oh so much more on the human level. Using history backed up by a variety of sources, David McCullough tells a story about what is left out of the history books. The side-stories and information about people we think we know are what make this book an interesting read.

If you are one who likes to know what is behind the history, you'll enjoy 1776.

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Genres:

History >> Americas >> United States >> Revolution & Founding >> General
Literature & Fiction >> Genre Fiction >> Historical

TagsAmerican Revolution, History, American History, NYT Notable 2005 - Nonfiction

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