David McCullough is an American historian and award winning author. He has won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award twice each, and is the author of 1776, John Adams, Truman and The Path Between the Seas, among other books. He went to college at Yale University, where he got a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. He has since worked for Sports Illustrated as an editorial assistant, the United States Information Agency, and for the American Heritage Publishing Company as an editor and writer. He served as the president for the Society of American Historians from 1991 until 1998. In December 2006, McCullough was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He currently resides in West Tisbury, Massachusetts with his wife.
1776 is a book about just that, one of the most crucial years in America’s history. McCullough actually starts the book late in the year 1775, simply to give a prerequisite to the main contents of the book. The rest of the book, however, covers the people and events that made the year 1776 so important to Americans. This includes everything from the preparing of the unnamed American Army to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the last major battle of the year, the Battle of Trenton. McCullough chooses points of interest throughout and goes more in depth on them, such as interesting people, where he may talk of their family or past jobs or educational background. He does this well, and keeps the readers interested in the book by showing some things that are not well-known about the Revolutionary War. Early in the book, he goes into depth on how raw and somewhat unruly the American army was, something the casual American may not know.
McCullough’s purpose in writing 1776 was to educate its readers about what the American Revolution was really like. He goes in depth on many topics, and reveals information the average American wouldn’t be aware of. He also tries to put an emphasis on the side of the war that was not as ‘picture-perfect’ as Americans would like to think, such as the fact that the American army had no real uniforms, no official name, and very few soldiers had previous military training. McCullough’s background helped him greatly in writing this book, as he has worked at the United States Information Agency, where he could easily access records of what happened during this time period. McCullough may be biased in writing this book, also. He focuses mainly on the American side of the war, and scarcely talks about the British side of it. It is likely that he does this due to the fact that he is an American, and an American historian nonetheless. He centers the book on the important events and people and from the year 1776, such as the Battle of Long Island and George Washington. He also includes information on minor figures during the time, usually other, smaller-named military leaders. The book does not have a true thesis, but is more informative, and provides some of McCullough’s commentary. However, if a thesis had to be chosen for the book, it would be that 1776 was one of the most important individual years in American history. McCullough does not provide traditional evidence to support his thesis, but uses more his analysis of battles and situations to do so. He also uses quotes from historic people to reinforce his points. McCullough’s writing is very clear, and he easily gets his points across to the reader. However, while he is good at giving full details, he is sometimes too wordy with his details and descriptions. In 1776, every chapter contained a few special pages devoted to maps, pictures, and other visual aids to give the reader a better idea of what the situation was, including what areas the war encompassed and what the weapons the soldiers had were like. This book truly helped my understanding of our nation’s history, as it was the unfiltered, uncensored version of the Revolutionary War (in the year 1776, at least). It was different from past information I had gotten on the subject because it was very complete in talking about the overall soldier experience, and very little information (if any) was left out.
Overall, 1776 was a book that did well at fulfilling its purposes. It educated the reader about one of the most important years in America’s history, while also keeping the reader entertained. It made sure to also educate the reader not only on the events of 1776, but also on the people and places, going into much depth. It was written by one of America’s most esteemed historians, who certainly knows what he’s talking about. 1776 also used visual aids well to help the reader understand the soldiers’ struggles. McCullough’s 1776 really helped my understanding of the struggles and sorrows endured by soldiers early on in the Revolutionary War.
1776 is a book about just that, one of the most crucial years in America’s history. McCullough actually starts the book late in the year 1775, simply to give a prerequisite to the main contents of the book. The rest of the book, however, covers the people and events that made the year 1776 so important to Americans. This includes everything from the preparing of the unnamed American Army to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the last major battle of the year, the Battle of Trenton. McCullough chooses points of interest throughout and goes more in depth on them, such as interesting people, where he may talk of their family or past jobs or educational background. He does this well, and keeps the readers interested in the book by showing some things that are not well-known about the Revolutionary War. Early in the book, he goes into depth on how raw and somewhat unruly the American army was, something the casual American may not know.
McCullough’s purpose in writing 1776 was to educate its readers about what the American Revolution was really like. He goes in depth on many topics, and reveals information the average American wouldn’t be aware of. He also tries to put an emphasis on the side of the war that was not as ‘picture-perfect’ as Americans would like to think, such as the fact that the American army had no real uniforms, no official name, and very few soldiers had previous military training. McCullough’s background helped him greatly in writing this book, as he has worked at the United States Information Agency, where he could easily access records of what happened during this time period. McCullough may be biased in writing this book, also. He focuses mainly on the American side of the war, and scarcely talks about the British side of it. It is likely that he does this due to the fact that he is an American, and an American historian nonetheless. He centers the book on the important events and people and from the year 1776, such as the Battle of Long Island and George Washington. He also includes information on minor figures during the time, usually other, smaller-named military leaders. The book does not have a true thesis, but is more informative, and provides some of McCullough’s commentary. However, if a thesis had to be chosen for the book, it would be that 1776 was one of the most important individual years in American history. McCullough does not provide traditional evidence to support his thesis, but uses more his analysis of battles and situations to do so. He also uses quotes from historic people to reinforce his points. McCullough’s writing is very clear, and he easily gets his points across to the reader. However, while he is good at giving full details, he is sometimes too wordy with his details and descriptions. In 1776, every chapter contained a few special pages devoted to maps, pictures, and other visual aids to give the reader a better idea of what the situation was, including what areas the war encompassed and what the weapons the soldiers had were like. This book truly helped my understanding of our nation’s history, as it was the unfiltered, uncensored version of the Revolutionary War (in the year 1776, at least). It was different from past information I had gotten on the subject because it was very complete in talking about the overall soldier experience, and very little information (if any) was left out.
Overall, 1776 was a book that did well at fulfilling its purposes. It educated the reader about one of the most important years in America’s history, while also keeping the reader entertained. It made sure to also educate the reader not only on the events of 1776, but also on the people and places, going into much depth. It was written by one of America’s most esteemed historians, who certainly knows what he’s talking about. 1776 also used visual aids well to help the reader understand the soldiers’ struggles. McCullough’s 1776 really helped my understanding of the struggles and sorrows endured by soldiers early on in the Revolutionary War.