Editorial Review

Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance. Read more

Reviews (493)

Great Book!!
This book is great! He does a wonderful job of explaining what the early days of the war was like and the state of the colonial army was like. I never really understood how huge the odds against us where until now. The book does a great job at introducing you to Washington, his struggles and the struggles of the nation during this year.

The greastest country ever, how it became.
David McCullough's book, though not thorough in introducing the reader to all the twists and turns of our nation's early history, does an excellent job in introducing George Washington, King George of England and the daunting task that Washington had in trying to hold a truly "rag tag" army together while the British tried to vanquish the Revolutionaries in the Colonies.
I Wonder How It Ends?
Books on history can often be a hard sell to both publishers and readers. The rehashing of old material gets, well, old. You either have to come up with an obscure piece of history that few know about but is engaging, or you have to recreate a larger section that is known by many and give some new tidbits.
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Subjects:  1. 1775-1783, Revolution    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. History: World    7. Revolution, 1775-1783    8. U.S. History - Revolution And Confederation (1775-1789)    9. United States    10. United States - Revolutionary War    11. History / General   

Reviews (5)

The Pictures are Really Entertaining.
Happily, I discovered this book shortly after another one of my recommendations; "The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine." It was truly fascinating to read about the events that occurred in Colonial America shortly before the Declaration, and see those events referenced in our constitution. You will understand the evolution of our government from colonial to country by reading both. Enthusiastically Recommended for all ages.

Every American should buy this book
This is a visually wonderful book.Sam Fink originally did a pen-and-ink version of this, which was later revised to be a full-colour version for Welcome Books.Apart from the briefest of commentary pieces, this is simply the text of the U.S. Constitution, from Preamble to Twenty-Seventh Amendment.Fink has done an engaging hand-inscribed version with illustrative artwork, sometimes symbolic and sometimes demonstrative.For example, for the Thirteen Amendment (the one passed in 1865 to abolish slavery), Fink's graphic shows strong chains being broken by a pair of shears that have been painted red, white and blue like the flag.For the Sixteenth Amendment (the 1913 amendment permitting general income taxes), Fink's drawing shows a man standing next to Uncle Sam, with Uncle Sam's hand reaching surreptitiously into the unsuspecting man's pocket.
Why would you buy this book?
The title of this book is the giveaway.Apparently, the author has not read the Constitution FOR the United States of America.It is NOT the Constitution of the United States of America."for" places the Constitution in proper context as the set of rules for the government.
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Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional Law    3. Constitutions    4. Government - National    5. History    6. History: American    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Oversize books    9. Specimens    10. U.S. Constitutional History    11. United States    12. United States - Revolutionary War    13. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    14. History / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)    15. USA   

Editorial Review

In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution was inevitable. But was it? In Read more

Reviews (348)

A Masterpiece
Joseph Ellis understands that it is what happens between, under and over the events of history that make it interesting.He has mastered the art of drawing out the implications of character, relationship and motivation.He brings the story to life by immersing the reader in the lives - the ideals, emotions, short-comings, likes and dislikes - of the characters that shaped the events of the American Revolution.Ellis doesn't just tell us that "they [all the major players] were making it up as they went along, improvising on the edge of catastrophe," he makes us feel it.
Founding Brothers, J. Ellis
A very readable and enjoyable book which makes the men involved in the Revolution, the drafting and signing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the relocation of the Nation's Capitol, etc., come alive.Their relationships with each other, envy, gossip, behind the scenes maneuvering are reminscent of politics today, or maybe life in general.If there were time to read only one history book, Founding Brothers would be it.
Excellent unbiased opinion of our early leaders
Founding Brothers is an excellent read for anyone interested in a clear, concise review of our struggle for independence and the early days of our republic.Ellis' explanations of the vastly different ideas that the founders had concerning what kind of government the new country should have and how to achieve it were captivating. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1783-1809    2. Anecdotes    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Historical - General    7. History    8. History & Theory - General    9. History: American    10. Presidents    11. Statesmen    12. United States    13. United States - Revolutionary War    14. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    15. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (59)

An Insightful Look at Religion in US politics and History
Jon Meacham has written yet another fine book that gives some real meaning to the phrase "Seperation of Church and state.His look at the Institutional religion of the Founders is very insightful and full of meaning in the current religious/ political controversies.Recommended.

Great - quick overview of religous thought in American politics
Well balanced with sources well referenced. Great glimpse into the thoughts of many of the people that of have shaped our Democracy. Very brief discussions covering the pre-Revolution thinking through the Reagan era.
American Gospel:God, the Founding Fathers, and the aking of a Nation
Intelligent,informed, and intelectually honest ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity and politics    2. History    3. History - U.S.    4. History Of Religion (General)    5. National characteristics, American    6. Religion    7. Religion and politics    8. Religion, Politics & State    9. U.S. History - Revolution And Confederation (1775-1789)    10. United States    11. United States - General    12. United States - Revolutionary War    13. History / United States / General   

Reviews (17)

Terrific Views of Founders
This book is a series of essays on several of our Founders such as Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Burr, Hamilton, etc.The essays address how each fit into his generation and treatment by contemporaries and historians.It is not, by any means, a recitation of dates and events.
Sets the Players in Their Time

rtaylor
For any reader of the Revolutionary period, this is a must read.Gordan Wood distills the thinking of the period and gives the reader a understandable idea of the dynamics of the era that even those who participated did not fully comprehend at the time.The clashing of ideas and those who held them are in the end notable in the key element to the genius of America; the ability to reach consensus and compromise when it is needed.Note the world today to see what results when that is not achieved or here with the American Civil War. Thank you Gordon Wood, and please keep writing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1775-1783, Revolution    2. Biography    3. Historical - General    4. History    5. History - U.S.    6. History: American    7. Political Doctrines    8. Revolutionaries    9. Statesmen    10. U.S. History - Revolution And Confederation (1775-1789)    11. United States    12. United States - 18th Century    13. United States - Revolutionary War    14. History / United States / General   

Editorial Review

Left to his own devices, John Adams might have lived out his days as a Massachusetts country lawyer, devoted to his family and friends. As it was, events swiftly overtook him, and Adams--who, David McCullough writes, was "not a man of the world" and not fond of politics--came to greatness as the second president of the United States, and one of the most distinguished of a generation of revolutionary leaders. He found reason to dislike sectarian wrangling even more in the aftermath of war, when Federalist and anti-Federalist factions vied bitterly for power, introducing scandal into an administration beset by other difficulties--including pirates on the high seas, conflict with France and England, and all the public controversy attendant in building a nation.Read more

Reviews (631)

A Life Well Lived
The book biggest strength is that it uses many quotations of John Adams, Abigail, John Quincy Adams, and Jefferson to tell its tale. These people were intelligent and very good writers. I enjoyed the biography. I enjoyed McCullough's writing style and the leisurely pace he sets for himself. The biography clearly portrays a man who lived long, did many great things, and died at peace with himself. The book glosses over Adams' weaknesses and I thought spent way too much time on what Jefferson and Adams thought of each other, but these are minor flaws. I enjoyed Morris's biography of Roosevelt more, but this book was a good summer read and was far better than McCullough's 1776. I learned how this nation owes a great debt to this great, but flawed man.

I wish I could have met him
Like another reviewer, my interest in history is quite new. The author's presentation of John Adams left me wanting to know much more of this great man. David McCullough's excerpting of Adams' professional and personal writings exposed a passionate man of deep convictions and possessed of an intellect and idealism beyond his generation. While Mr. Adams was acutely aware of and deplored his own ego, he, at the same time was critical of his own limitations. Even with this conflict, Adams could still say, "I thank God that he gave me stubborness when I am right."
More quotes and facts, less opinions and emotions.
First of all, I did not exactly 'read' this biography. Instead I purchased the CD version which I distilled via my car sound system every morning on my way to work (I have enjoyed countless biographies of great american figures this way, and still been able to read many more technology related books).
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Subjects:  1. 1735-1826    2. 1775-1783    3. Adams, John,    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Historical - U.S.    9. Politics and government    10. Presidents    11. Presidents & Heads of State    12. U.S. History - Constitutional Period To Civil War (1789-1860)    13. U.S. President    14. United States    15. United States - Colonial Period    16. United States - Revolutionary War    17. Adams, John    18. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    19. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    20. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents    21. Biography: historical    22. Political leaders & leadership    23. USA   

Reviews (13)

Always learning something new
Even though I had believed that I knew at least a bit about all aspects of the American Revolution, this book caught me by surprise. I had never known anything about the British and their freedom offer to the slaves of American rebels. This exciting story spends a bit of time on the war itself and the rush to liberty of multitudes of blacks, but the bulk of it is taken up with what happened to the freed slaves when the war was over. There we see that the British government wasn't very much different from the American one, in that it professed its belief in liberty for all, but in practice the ex-slaves were considered second-class citizens, if even that. They were unceremoniuosly dumped into squalor in Nova Scotia, and only the efforts of a few brave Englishmen allowed many of them to be transported to Sierra Leone, there to found a free black society. Even there the people were subjected to being demeaned by the whites who controlled the area. This is a sad morality tale, and it shows up the hypocracy of both the American and British systems of government. This should be required reading for everyone.

A Little Known Story, Well Told
In the Broadway musical 1776 there is a very dramatic scene during the debate over the Declaration of Independence where the representatives from the northern and southern states are arguing over the South's 'peculiar institution.' It became clear that there would be no revolution if slavery had not been maintained.
A new facet of US history
Schama has done a service to us all through this book, which provides a look at how people in the 18th century interpreted the phrase "all men are created equal."The British by and large were far more willing to include blacks in that category than the people of the United States.Slaves who escaped and fought for the British were promised their freedom. Not every promise was kept, but many were. After the war, Schama takes us along with the freed slaves as they are shuttled to Nova Scotia and eventually Sierra Leone, as they demanded and fought for the freedom due to them by virtue of their service in the British army.The text is very well written and footnoted; the author understands that well-told history is told in (true) stories.The book's only miscue is Schama's subtle mocking of the religious fervor of the freed slaves and abolitionists. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1775-1783, Revolution    2. 18th century    3. Africa - West    4. African Americans    5. Blacks    6. England    7. Europe - Great Britain - General    8. General    9. History    10. History - General History    11. History - U.S.    12. History: American    13. Slavery    14. U.S. History - Revolution And Confederation (1775-1789)    15. United States    16. United States - Revolutionary War    17. History / General   

Reviews (6)

Arose by any other name
First, let me say that Nelson's work is an excellent, well written, fast paced, general history read...but its title: "Benedict Arnold's Navy" is (at least in my opinion) quite misleading.
Read more like a military biography of Arnold
I enjoyed reading Benedict Arnold's Navy which covered the early years of the American Revolution in the north. Here for the brief period in our nation's history, we owed the arch-traitor of American history, a true debt of graditude for his skilled leadership, force of character and his total determination to the American cause. This book explained skillfully how Arnold deserves such acclodes and why a man who could have become one of our nation's greatest paragon of heroes, became one of its greatest Judas goats.
A Definitive and Very Readable Piece of History
James Nelson is an author to be envied if the notion of putting pen to paper and telling a story, whether it be fact or fiction has ever occurred to you. In the fourteen books he has written he has done both fiction and non-fiction superbly.
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Subjects:  1. 1741-1801    2. Arnold, Benedict,    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Military    6. Military - Naval    7. Military - United States    8. Naval operations    9. Revolution, 1775-1783    10. United States    11. United States - Revolutionary War    12. Valcour Island, Battle of, N.Y., 1776    13. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    14. History / Military / Naval    15. Naval forces & warfare    16. USA    17. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (20)

Most Important Founding Father - outstanding one-volume edition of his writings!
Thomas Paine was the most consistent and important of all the American Founding Fathers. He consistently spoke up in favor of liberty and freedom; for example, his opposition to the institution of slavery (which he argued was immoral and un-Christian and thought it quite contradictory to claim to be a Christian on the one hand and support slavery on the other hand) - Paine also spoke up in support of women's rights, freedom of thought, the poor, etc.
Timeless inspiration
Thomas Paine, especially in The Age of Reason, did not put forth completely original ideas. Many of his contemporaries had the same critisms that Paine did in regard to organized religion especially Christianity. However, Thomas Paine organized such thoughts in a way that they were accessible to common men. Unfortunately his brave and inspirational work was his downfall. Closeminded and fearful citizens, like RICKITHEREADER in our modern times were frightened that perhaps Paine was tearing a hole the the fabric of their blind faith and because of this, Paines' last work, The Age of Reason, left him to die alone and impoverished. He was abandoned, even by his intellectual contemporaries, most who agreed with him but were not brave enough to voice their beliefs in the common vernacular. I was inspired by Paine who wrote, "My mind is my own church," which was not the voice of an atheist but the voice of a man who really did know the "truth" and his true path. Unlike RickitheReader, I have read both the bible and Paine with an open mind and heart. The joy of reading is the ability to let it lead you to new places. Thomas Paine would have said it better. Read this compilation and it will lead you to new places, wherever your faith is.

Age of Reason
Paine's "Age of Reason" was a mind-blowing revelation for me, so I'll focus mainly on that in this review.Although he has little formal education (fortunately it doesn't require much to know that hearsay, even the printed variety, is not always accurate), Paine is a brilliant independent thinker who advocates critically and intelligently evaluating the Bible. He dismisses the need to insist on divine explanations for what is simply the warlike, violent behavior of a typical tribal society, and shows his unique ability to filter the positive aspects of Biblical teaching (i.e. kindness, mercy, regard for one's neighbors) from the more mythological aspects of it (creationism, the fall of Satan, etc.).
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Subjects:  1. Literature - Classics / Criticism    2. Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809    3. Philosophy    4. Political science    5. United States - Revolutionary War    6. History / United States / General   

Editorial Review

The leaders of the American Revolution, writes the distinguished historian Bernard Bailyn, were radicals. But their concern was not to correct inequalities of class or income, not to remake the social order, but to "purify a corrupt constitution and fight off the apparent growth of prerogative power." They wished, in other words, to mend a broken system and improve upon it. In doing so they drew on many traditions of political and social thought, ranging from English conservative philosophers to exponents of the continental Enlightenment, from backward-looking interpretations of ancient Roman civilization to forward-looking views of a new American people. Bailyn carefully examines these sources of sometimes conflicting ideas and considers how the framers of the Constitution resolved them in their inventive doctrine of federalism. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A spark in the study of the Revolution
This is a book that all students of the American Revolution should be forced to read. Without understanding Bailyn's argument, that the "conspiracy against liberty" was the main reason why America decided to break away from the British Empire, a student will be forever lost in trying to understand the roots of the American Revolution. Almost all of the books on the outbreak of the American Revolution have had to take Bailyn's argument into consideration; so, if you're interested in the study of the American Revolution, then this book is an imperative read. Read T.H. Breen's "The Marketplace of Revolution" after this book, and you'll have a decent grasp of the roots of the American Revolution.
The Radical Whig Fountain of Libertarian Rhetoric
While the 17th century witnessed the failure of the libertarian Levellor revolution, the 18th century can be said to embody its partial victory in the form of the American Revolution.The radical libertarian nature of the Yankee revolutionaires has only recently been acknowledged by historians.Bailyn's volume broke new ground when it was published in 1967 by showing the Radical Whig foundations of the American Revolution.He says "attitudes and ideas that would constitute the Revolutionary ideology was present a half-century before there was an actual Revolution".
Groundbreaking Book
As of today, the work Bailyn did in this book is not new.But if considered in the context of the time period when he wrote it and what it did for the study of the American Revolution, this book was the beginning of the current dominate thought on the Revolution.Bailyn changed the way historians and Americans look at the Revolution by challenging the work of several scholars.Written extremely well, this book deserves every award it revceiced and is still entitled to be a mainstay in history departments around the country. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: American    5. Military    6. Military - General    7. Political Ideologies - General    8. Political science    9. Revolution, 1775-1783    10. Revolutions    11. U.S. Political History    12. United States    13. United States - General    14. United States - Revolutionary War    15. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    16. History / Military / General    17. History of ideas, intellectual history    18. Revolutions & coups    19. USA    20. c 1700 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Constitutional history    6. Historical - U.S.    7. Political    8. Politicians    9. Statesmen    10. United States    11. United States - Revolutionary War    12. Virginia    13. American Revolution; Constitutional Convention; Republicanism; Anti-Federalists; Gunston Hall; Virginia Declaration of Rights; Bill of Rights; Fairfax Resolves; British taxation; James Madison; Thomas Jefferson;    14. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    15. Biography & Autobiography / Political    16. Biography: historical    17. USA    18. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (24)

The Overland Series
The Battle of the Wilderness May 5-6, 1864
The Wilderness Campaign
Rhea has done an excellent job of sorting out fact from friction in this major civil war campaign. I have read several accounts including Grant's own biographical account of the wilderness battle. This is by far the most complete coverage of the two critical days of the conflict. I especially enjoyed reading the account of the medical treatment associated with the fatal wounding of Union General James S. Wadsworth. Wadsworth was a major land holder and statesmen in the Genesse Valley near Rochester NY were I grow up. I had never heard of the unsusal story of the rebel farmer who went to his aid and eventually claimed the General's remains. This kind of detail makes the author's account of the people in the terrible collision of forces so remarkable. This is a classic narrative of the final wilderness tragedy where so many on both sides lost thier life in early 1864 to end the conflict. The beginning of the end of the rebellion by attrition.

Excellent Narrative of a Bloody and Confusing Battle
In my humble opinion, Rhea has written what I believe to be the definitive account of one of the war's most bloody and savage battles.Rhea's writing style is clear and crisp - easy enough for the layperson yet technical enough to challenge the thinking of historians and military professionals.
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Subjects:  1. History - Military / War    2. History: American    3. Military - General    4. Military History - U.S. Civil War    5. United States - Civil War    6. United States - Revolutionary War    7. Wilderness, Battle of the, 186    8. Wilderness, Battle of the, 1864    9. Wilderness, Battle of the, Va    10. Wilderness, Battle of the, Va., 1864    11. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    12. Civil war    13. USA   

Reviews (49)

Five Stars
A wonderful book about extraordinary real women who deserve their own spot along side the Founding Fathers. The bravery and the guts of these women surprised me. Each one was heroic in her own way and has made me want to learn more about each one.

History Comes Alive ...
This is a very fascinating book and I am glad that I was able to buy it not too long ago. I remember reading the back of the book at the bookstore and thinking, "I have to have it." That first thought hasn't changed.
LOW-KEYED, INFORMATIVE AND PLEASING READ
I rather enjoyed this low-keyed take on history.The reading was easy and it was fun and I did indeed learn some facts I was unaware of.This by no means is "hard core history" and I doubt if it was ment to be.The book of course take a look a the wives of some of our founding fathers and the role they played at the time.The book appears to be reasonably researched, as any book of the nature can be, and the author uses an easy and informative style.On the otherhand, I doubt if this work will satisfy the hard core reader of history any more than it will satisfy the reader who is wanting a cozy sort of read...it sort of falls in the middle somewhere.I read it for pleasure and did receive that from it.Recommend this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Historical - U.S.    6. History    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. United States    10. United States - Revolutionary War    11. Women    12. Women in politics    13. Women's Studies - General    14. Social Science / Women's Studies