1776 David Mccullough Sparknotes

McCullough, David. 1776. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005.

The words never judge a book by its cover have been spoken many times, but some covers beg to be judged. The cover of 1776, with its wartime painting and bold red lettering on the front, immediately draws people into it. However, upon opening the novel it is visually intimidating with many quotes in the middle of pages and nearly one-hundred pages of sources, notes, and acknowledgements. Despite this, McCullough delivers a personal story of the year 1776, detailing both the American and British sides of the struggle. 1776 is a novel that has the ability to interest the scholarly elite and the average citizen with it’s interesting take on one of the focal years of the American Revolution. McCullough has a long list of accolades and achievements that build his repertoire, including being a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize award in addition to being a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom which is the highest award that the United States offers to civilians. In
addition to being the recipient of multiple literary awards McCullough graduated from Yale University with a degree in English literature. While all of these accolades are impressive what truly speaks to his ability to tell a story is his impressive collection of ten novels, half of which have been given awards that are highly regarded in the world of literature. For the most part, critics agree that McCullough is an expert at giving an unbiased view on a variety of topics, ranging from President Truman to the American War for Independence. But perhaps what best qualifies McCullough to write this specific novel is the ninety-one pages of acknowledgements, sources, and bibliographic notes that ends the tome. McCullough leaves no doubt in the readers mind that his novel is well researched and well thought out. Throughout the course of his novel McCullough gives an unbiased and equal view of both the British and American's shortcomings and advantages. Despite this, the is undoubtedly an appraisal of Washington. While McCullough does show Washington in situations which he “must have felt profoundly alone” McCullough ensures that he shows Washington bouncing back with a “brilliant stroke” (255, 272). All and all though, this cannot be seen as a bias. The view of Washington that McCullough presents is the view of Washington that the American people have come to accept. McCullough presents Washington in the air that history has preserved him as. The name of the novel is, in and of itself, a summary of the events of the book.
1776 tells the story of the “rabble” of an army Washington created and their struggle against all odds to survive (291). The novel starts in the fall of 1775 and concludes in January of 1777 after the American victory of Trenton. On multiple occasions McCullough tells of how the Continental Army was nothing more than a “rabble in arms” and how many perceived it as nothing more than “a preposterous parade” (25). McCullough does not attempt to mask the difficulties the army endured. He tells, with brutal honesty, the odds they faced and the obstacles they overcame. It details their victory at Boston, their defeat at New York, retreat through New Jersey, and victories at both Princeton and Trenton. McCullough gives an honest summary of the events from the middle of 1775 to the Americans victory at Trenton in three-hundred and eighty six
pages. 1776 is, in no means, an easy read. While it is enjoyable it is teeming with facts and detail that makes reading many pages in one sitting nearly impossible. One of the strengths of the novel is in the writing. Despite being packed with facts 1776 essentially reads like a story. The events of the novel are filled with such small details that its classification of non-fiction is nearly astounding. Another strength of the novel is in the personal details it presents. McCullough includes a letter “Dr. Sylvester Gardiner… would write to a son in law” (101). While the novel is filled with battles it tells the personal side of the war that renders an emotional attachment typically lacking in historical novels. The weakness of the novel is also its’ strength, the details. At times McCullough fills the novel with such a large amount of details that at times it becomes a laborious read. Despite this small flaw the novel retains its sense of being interesting and informative. Once the reader delves into the novel it becomes obvious that the novel is a labor of love. Technically, the novel is to an untrained eye flawless. There are no glaring grammatical mistakes or words that are needlessly misspelled. The book is aesthetically very pleasing with a stunning cover and beautifully detailed pictures and images. Furthermore the book has almost one-hundred pages of source notes showing the amount of attention that went into the novel and is very convenient for reference. On a technical level, the book is nearly flawless. 1776 is, as a piece of historical work, an amazing reference book filled with details on the year 1776 and the surrounding months. However, the book is a difficult read. This is not a book for someone merely looking for an easy beach book. The book should be read by those who have a love for history and a true curiosity and desire to know more about the events that occurred during 1776. All in all, 1776 is a succesful in telling the story of the American struggle during the year 1776 in astoundingly personal detail.