1776

David McCullough presents the story of 1776, the year of America's founding, weaving together events on both sides of the Atlantic. The narrative follows the actions and decisions that led Great Britain to wage war against its rebellious colonies, while placing America's survival in the hands of George Washington. McCullough tells the human story of those who marched with General Washington during the year of the Declaration of Independence. The success of these soldiers was critical to the American cause; without it, the ideals of the Declaration would have remained merely words on paper. Based on extensive research in American and British archives, the book covers soldiers of all backgrounds—farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, and young men turned soldiers—as well as the British forces under commander William Howe and his disciplined redcoats. Written as a companion to McCullough's biography of John Adams, 1776 is a narrative account of this pivotal year in American history.