Preview

1775: a Good Year for Revolution

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1412 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
1775: a Good Year for Revolution
Lorrie Daniell
Prof. J. C. Batton
AMH 1010
25 April 2013
1775: A good year for Revolution
In 1775: A Good Year for Revolution, Phillips says that for too long historians have listed 1776 as the pivotal year in the beginning of the American Revolution. The correct date, he says, is 1775. As he writes in the book’s opening pages, “If 1775 hadn’t been a year of successful national building, 1776 might have been a year of lost opportunity, quiet disappointments, and continued colonial status.” Yes, the Declaration of Independence and the formal separation from the British occurred in 1776. The year before, Phillips argues, laid the groundwork for all that followed.
The title, 1775: A Good Year for Revolution, may sound like a more modest undertaking, though its size -- well over 500 pages -- indicates otherwise. In some sense, the argument is simple: 1775, not 1776, was the real hinge of American history, the moment when independence transformed from a possibility to a reality. Indeed, it was only the tremendous sense of momentum that came out of 1775, especially in terms of the string of victories Phillips dubs "the Battle of Boston," that allowed the Patriot cause to absorb the many military blows that followed the Declaration, years in which the "rage militaire" (Phillips) of '75 largely dissipated, especially in the South. "The spirit of '76," by contrast, was a bicentennial marketing device. But the scope of the book is in fact much wider. Phillips offers a sweeping interpretation of the coming of the Revolution that encompasses familiar topics like politics and economics as well as less familiar ones like the logistics of international gunpowder supply and naval tactics. He also foregrounds the interplay between culture and geography, paying special attention to the dynamics of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia and South Carolina, whose role he sees as pivotal (Connecticut and South Carolina too often overlooked). There's also a fine chapter on the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Non-Fiction Historical Book 1776 By David McCullough is a historically accurate and in depth view of The American Revolution; starting from The Battle of Bunker Hill, Boston, Brooklyn, New York, Fort Washington, and ending its Analysis at the Battle of Trenton in 1776. There are many fascinating features, trends, themes, and characteristics used in 1776 that make the book a fluent and enjoyable read. Also the book gives a very detailed and informative account of the battles and military life from the Battle of Boston to the Battle of Trenton. Finally the author, David McCullough, of the book as many other works and experiences that tell the reader why and how 1776 is such a credible source as well as expertly written. 1776 gives an expertly written view by David McCullough and a historical accurate account of The American Revolution’s battles and skirmishes.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though the American colonists had not achieved a true, uniform sense of identity or unity by 1776, on the eve of Revolution, the progress towards unity and the inchoate idea of an “American” between 1750 and 1776 is inevitable in both existence and significance. Previous to the French and Indian War, America as a whole had been, more or less, loyal mercantile-based, and subservient to the British crown as British colonists in the New World; however, the Americans' sense of unity kindled and proliferated with the increased tax burdens and coercive Parliamentary decisions, while even until 1776, Americans, in a broad scope, retained more so their “British” identity rather than a truly American one.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1776, a brilliant book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, retells the story of America’s brutal battle for independence throughout the American Revolution. In an informative tone, McCullough brings the American Revolution to life as he reiterates America’s history through the incorporation of details pertaining to each of the important figures of the war as well as the story format of his well-researched book. Through the use of visual aids such as maps and pictures depicting battles as well as the inclusion of personal and formal letters, McCullough is able to portray a vision of American hardship and success on a more personal level than most historic writers.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    | In the north, church membership was key to be accepted into the colony. The church controlled the laws and was the most acknowledge in the colony. However, in the south, instead of the church member being the boss, land owners were the dominant party. These land owners were the wealthiest and had control over the laws. A marked difference between the different colonies was the religious aspect. This was because in these territories settled various religious denominations in England who were persecuted in their homeland. Because of this, you cannot say that religious beliefs throughout the colonies were uniform.…

    • 1578 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bibliography: ood, Gordon S. The American Revolution: A History, New York: Random House Inc, 2002.…

    • 2413 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author, Gary Nash, completely reveals both authentic and social lessons. Nash retells the account of the American Revolution, muddling and radicalizing its center story as "a people's upset, a change among the most heterogeneous individuals to be discovered anyplace along the Atlantic in the eighteenth century."…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Professor Joanne Freeman unravels her plan for her class to make them be aware of the how the American Revolution came about but to get passed most but not all of the dates and facts of the war. Freeman explains that the American Revolution entailed some remarkable transformations like, converting British colonists into American revolutionaries. This lecture examines the American Revolution from a broad perspective. The best part about her lecture is that she breaks it down into five easy steps to understand, and for her being a professor at Yale she probably is one of the top favorite teachers just because of how easy she breaks her lectures down. Freeman relates herself to one of the Founders, John Adams, because he wasn’t up to the status quo of every other Founder as she states it. John was humorous…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another surprise is that David McCullough, best known for Rushmore-size biographies of underrated presidents, wrestles America's founding year into a taut 294 pages of text, describing the trying months that followed the heroics at Lexington, Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill. The result is a lucid and lively work that will engage both Revolutionary War bores and general readers who have avoided the subject since their school days.…

    • 1158 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pulitzer Prize winner, David McCullough, authored the intense and well-researched novel 1776 about the tumultuous times of American independence from the British Empire. He recreates scenes of heroic battles as well as dramatic encounters between diplomats with outstanding details to support his writing. In his acknowledgments, McCullough informs the reader that the material in his novel came from over 25 libraries, archives and historic sites in both the United States and the United Kingdom. McCullough’s history lesson in his novel 1776 does more than just teach the reader; it puts them into the setting of pre-revolutionary war America.…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Phillips believes the Declaration of Independence was literally an afterthought. As you can probably tell even from this brief summary, 1775 sprawls in ways that are not always felicitous. It's not clear, for example, why we need two separate chapters, in two separate sections, on the Canadian campaign. Or two separate chapters Britain's first efforts to contain the Revolution of the South. Figures like the colorful Lord Dunmore certainly have a place in this story, but probably not as frequently as he pops up. Overall, the book is a highly…

    • 91 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    3. Middlekauff, R. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.…

    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Greene, Jack P. and J.R. Pole, eds. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1991; reprint 1999. ISBN 1557865477. Collection of essays.…

    • 4447 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    1776 Book Review

    • 1280 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Throughout history, one of the most memorable wars for Americans will be the American Revolution. This was a time when the thirteen American colonies broke off from the mother country of England and fought for their independence. David McCullough writes about the American Revolution in his non-fictional historical book 1776. This book helps readers better understand the conditions the soldiers and generals were in, the point of view from many of the generals, and some important battles.…

    • 1280 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1776

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1776 is a book by historian David McCullough, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and national bestseller, based on the American Revolution against the British. The book moves through countless different battles between the Americans and the British, involving fascinating facts of the war and the people immensely involved such as Nathanael Green, Henry Knox, and multifarious others. McCullough talks about the paltry and considerable wars and the commands from both sides leaving out no details.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Revolution began in 1775, the American colonists were not yet fighting for their freedom from…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays