David Mcullough 1776 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.

Although, the way of treatment that the two leaders had differs greatly. King George dressed his men in equal uniforms, to neatly present them. Not to mention, he had money to train them, and they were well fed and treated. On the other hand, George Washington had his men in ragged clothing that didn’t match, and most had no shoes to protect their feet from the ground. George didn’t train the soldiers, and they were starved and cold in the harsh weather. This shows how George Washington treated his men terribly, while King George kept his men well-fed, clothed, and sheltered. If King George was the leader, then he would treat soldiers much better than George Washington would. Also, when George Washington was near the British soldiers during the war, instead of telling himself that his soldiers were too weak, cold, hungry, and tired to fight, he pushes them to the extreme to try and defeat the British soldiers. Although, George Washington’s side did win, he pushed his men too much, resulting in many deaths from starvation, freezing, or even from just being too weak and tired. King George wouldn’t, and didn’t, push his soldiers to fight unless they were strong enough to do

In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien expresses to the reader why the men went to the war and continued to fight it. In the first chapter, “The Things They Carried,” O’Brien states “It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather they were too frightened to be cowards.” The soldiers went to war not because they were courageous and ready to fight, but because they felt the need to go. They were afraid and coped with their lack of courage by telling stories (to themselves or aloud) and applied humor to the situations they encountered.

Erich Maria Remarque was a man who had lived through the terrors of war, serving since he was eighteen. His first-hand experience shines through the text in his famous war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, which tells the life of young Paul Bäumer as he serves during World War 1. The book was, and still is, praised to be universal. The blatant show of brutality, and the characters’ questioning of politics and their own self often reaches into the hearts of the readers, regardless of who or where they are.

“The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers go through during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and and mind, to the point where some men return home completely destroyed. Some soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. An indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet secretly desired to die and bring a conclusion to their misery. Over all, this story allows us to observe changes within the mentalities of army officers.

Thomas Paine describes the conflict as American citizens debating whether or not they are going to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Those who do make the decision to fight are being considered as gallant and brave, while those who are not are considered cowards and weak. The diction and figurative language being used in the essay gives us an explanation and more descriptive passage of the emotions people have toward the decisions of other who have chose to fight or not fight in the war.

In "If I die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home", Tim O’Brien gives the readers a unique insight into the Vietnam War from a soldier’s perspective. He uses dark humor to describe his firsthand experience of combat and the feelings of fear, bravery, and loss. Drafted into the war, O’Brien begins his journey in a training camp in Washington, making a close comrade who shares similar views with him. During his time at the camp, he considers the senselessness of the war and thinks of fleeing the country with his comrade, Erik. O’Brien was surrounded by the era of protest and arguments on the war. Faced with the moral decision of fight or flight, he opts for the former and chooses to stay and fight for his country. Shipped off to the battlefront in Vietnam, his life in combat is drowned in constant fear and anxiety. In fear of death, O’Brien and his fellow soldiers practice courage and bravery every day. They do this while watching American soldiers die in combat from bombs and landmines. Fighting for the Alpha Company, O’Brien witnesses violence and inhumanities of war. He lives in a revolving door of valor and danger as young men fought and died for the country on both sides. Even after O’Brien leaves the frontlines to

The Killer Angels is a fiction book authored by Michael Shaara and published in 1974 by Ballantine Books, in New York City. Shaara, an educator, and a novelist, was born in 1928 in Jersey City. In 1975, his book, the Killer Angels won the Pulitzer Prize for the best story telling novel. The book details the events of 1863 which occurred during the civil war of Gettysburg, in America (Shaara 3). In the book, Michael Shaara provides an account of the four most important days during Battle of Gettysburg where he details its features and characterizations of key characters such as Pickett, Buford, Lee, Longstreet, and Hancock. He describes the events of June 1863 when the troops of both the Confederacy

Brief Summary and Arrangement of the Book: The book 1776 by David McCullough is about the first year of the Revolutionary War. It depicts the hardships that the Americans faced early on in the war; deserters, being outnumbered, disease, inexperience, feelings of hopelessness and countless other things. Everyone thought that the “rebellion” was a lost cause because they were a ragtag group of men going up against the most powerful nation at the time. Although they were successful as the war was starting things went downhill for the Americans. For almost four months in every battle fought the British came out victorious:the Battle of Long Island, Fort Washington and Fort Lee.The war seemed like it was going to end quickly and the only reason it didn’t was due to the circumstances faced: storms, strong winds and decisions made. The rebels were suffering great

History does not always convey the absolute truth. It offers only one side of the story. The strong and powerful voices always drown out the sounds of the weak and beaten. The winner’s word will always be taken over the loser’s. The content that lies within the textbooks was not written by the defeated. To understand the history of past cultures, it is imperative that both sides are heard. Many novels continually showcase this new outlook on history. Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, demonstrates the New Historicism perspective with subjective accounts, reflections of the time it is written, and lack of the opposing side’s outlook.

The chapters of the book describe numerous battles and mainly summarize the engagements. It skillfully re-enacts the battles and conquests of the revolutionary struggle that piques and arouses the readers to read and research more details on the subject. Although the novel covers several military campaigns on the revolutionary struggle its central theme is not military history, neither is it social. In addition, although it scantly mentions those patriots that were against slavery, it pays little attention to the status of women and blacks in the revolution. The author deftly handles the changes in locale and time; moreover, the novel evidently portrays the author’s commitment to detail, accuracy, and thorough research skills. However, some sections of the book are clogged with unnecessary niceties and in some places; the needless information interrupts the flow and pace of the narrative. Nonetheless, the novel is a well-researched and naturally accessible narrative of the American Revolution that should be recommended to any avid reader (Greene

The author of this book, David McCullough, is most commonly known for his written works. He also takes a huge role in being a narrator, historian, and lecturer. Author David McCullough wrote the book titled “1776” that was first published by the company Simon & Schuster on May 14, 2005. The main topic of the book is focusing on the events that surround the beginning of the American Revolution. Although a majority of the book revolves around George Washington, author David McCullough gives attention to several other people like King George III and Henry Knox. McCullough shares different points of view throughout the book of different people as George Washington, King George III and even the common soldier. The best part of the book is that McCullough make

I always had a deep admiration for prominent men endowed with a wealth of intellect and a distinguished soul. The reason is that my family consisted of so many of these eminent men. As a result I was used to being in their presence. However, Mr. Washington was distinct in his very own way. His rhetoric, intelligence, sense of humor and relentless perseverance was far beyond what I have seen. As a result, I wasn’t nearly as terrified as I wouldn’t been without his motivational guidance. But I digress. I was in a militia that consisted of 45 men. Among them, I was the youngest, but I was

David Gaub McCollough born July 7, 1933) is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer.] He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award.

O’Brien also shows the reality that they were just young boys who were scared, and forced by shame and their social obligations to fight the war, which contrasts from a “traditional” soldier who is seen as a brave hero. From time to time, throughout the whole book, someone would say that he is just a young boy; this is almost their way of indirectly saying that: they are scared and not as brave as they try to be, and that, they were just boys who had dreamt of living a normal life. Also, right from the beginning of the book, in the chapter “The Things They Carried”, O’Brien illustrates how they try to act with poise and dignity but fails when there were times of panic. He says that “they were afraid of dying but they were more afraid of showing