"1776" by David McCullough and John Stuart Mill

John P. Litzinger: Novel was very well written and informative.

United States on Sep 03, 2023

Mitch Hansen: Everyone who likes history should read this book. Great Read. Really gives a picture of what America is about. Too bad some of lost this ideology. A Great Story Period!

United States on Sep 02, 2023

Matthew Shunney: Great read and deep dive into the pre war years

United States on Aug 30, 2023

jacksontran516: I loved 1776. This book is perhaps one of my favorite books of all time (and I have read a lot of books) - irregardless of genre. McCollough writes with literary beauty, historical accuracy, and stirring humanity. The historical figures come alive - especially the cast of main characters such as George Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and Henry Knox. The battles are written so well you can feel the gunshots and smell the powder. The writing style of easy, beautiful, and powerful. This is truly a literary achievement and one of the best narrative histories I have read. I recommend it for it literary beauty, its historical relevance, and its entertainment value.

United States on Aug 21, 2023

Livio: McCullough non si smentisce.
È uno dei migliori.
Descrizioni accurate, ricostruzioni degli eventi infarcite dei sentimenti, delle ansie e frustrazioni dei protagonisti davvero affascinanti.
La ricostruzione della battaglia di Trenton, epica.
Da non perdere.

Italy on May 06, 2023

Aditya Ganjoo: Positives:
1. Highly engaging. Very hard to put the book down
2. Seems to be an honest narrative. It does not talk only about the glories of Gen Washington and his men, but also of the troubles they were plagued with - diseases, desertion and destitution

Negative (Spoiler - some may consider):
Abrupt start and end. Starts right after the battle of Bunker Hill and ends somewhere in the middle of the war. No context setting whatsoever, and a hasty conclusion. Rather than being a narrative of the American Revolution, it is only about the events of 1776.

Positives strongly outweight the negative. Thus, no star deducted.

India on Apr 25, 2023

JC: Quelle aventure : une armée qui n’en est pas une victorieuse à deux reprises d’un adversaire puissant et bien organisé. Et un chef qui, malgré quelques indécisions, remporte les victoires décisives.

Dommage que le livre s’arrête avant la bataille de Yorktown.

France on Jan 17, 2023

Liam Kelleher: I was hoping this book would be a revealing overview of the American War of Independence. In some ways, it is that, painting a detailed picture of Washington in particularly, as well as some of the other generals.

However, it really focuses on a number of key battles and spends a lot of time discussing the tactics. Firstly at the battle of Boston but secodnly spending a long time on battle of Long Island and ultimately the capture of Manhatten. The book certainly doesn't cover Washington in glory. Unfortunately the Decleration of Independence and its signees get almost no coverage.

This is primairly a book on military history, rather than a wider geolpoltilical or politial tale.

United Kingdom on May 01, 2022

Hande Z: The world knows the year, 1776. Americans know and revere the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. In this captivating book, MCCullough reminds readers of American history, that important as they were, the founding fathers were politicians first, leaders, second. Their decision to declare independence from Great Britain in 1776 was crucial, but that year was pivotal on the battlefield.

McCullough emphasises the contribution on the battlefield, for without victory there, the declaration of independence would be just a mocked document down the path of history. Yet, the initial battles were not easy, and many of the men who fought for America were either too young or too old. America was also in dire shortage of guns and ammunition. Britain had a large professional army, complemented by the feared Hessian troops.

In the second half of the year 1776, George Washington, Nathanael Green, and Henry Knox became the unlikely heroes of all time. They had their share of defeat and humiliation - one of Washington's generals (Lee) was captured and taken prisoner by the British. Losses at the Battle of Brooklyn and the surrender of Fort...

United Kingdom on Mar 10, 2019

Tim Challies: I have only elementary knowledge of American history. This is shameful, really, as in high school and university I took at least two courses on American history and did quite well in them as memory serves. Still, somehow I have forgotten much that I ought to know. Popular history, books written about periods of the past but written in a narrative fashion rather than as dry history, have proven useful in refreshing my memory. Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower reminded me of the first days of the American colonies, and I have followed that with David McCullough's 1776 which tells the story of what is easily the most pivotal, important year in America's long and storied history.

Though it takes place during the war for independence, and though it concerns that conflict, 1776 is not a history of the war. Rather, it deals with a small slice of the wider campaign. Yet this year, being so pivotal, mirrors the course of the war, for it began with defeat and retreat, but ended with great victories. Though the American forces managed to avoid full-scale battles, they showed their commitment to the ideals of independence through a series of smaller but still important...

United States on Sep 11, 2006