1776 David Mccullough Summary

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Perhaps the most famous line from the Declaration of Independence, written on July 4, 1776. 1776 by David McCullough is about just that: the year 1776, though it does mention events in previous and following years, in American history. McCullough’s purpose for writing the book is very clear: to educate readers about the details of the American Revolutionary War from the view of both sides in and around 1776. McCullough achieves this through mostly logos, but uses ethos and pathos just as well. 1776 is written almost in the nature of a textbook, meaning the entire book is filled with logos. McCullough uses a quote from a

Right from the start, McCullough proves he did his research. “Material for this book,” he writes, “has been gathered at more than twenty-five libraries, archives, special collections, and historic sites here in the United States, and in the United Kingdom, at the British Library and the National Archives.” (McCullough, 295). McCullough then goes on the thank everyone who was of help to them and where the work at, which would fill up about an entire page. After the acknowledgments, McCullough goes on for another 89 pages citing every single document, book, map, etc. he used to compile the book. His amount of research put into the book gives him credibility because it proves that he was dedicated from the start to provide only the truest of facts with extra details. What McCullough does not mention is that he also the author of two Pulitzer Prize-winning books, Truman and John Adams. This all makes him credible because it shows that this historian is also a very serious author and is capable of winning very highly esteemed