Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    1776
    1776
    1776
    Audiobook11 hours

    1776

    Written by David McCullough

    Narrated by David McCullough

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    America’s beloved and distinguished historian presents, in a book of breathtaking excitement, drama, and narrative force, the stirring story of the year of our nation’s birth, 1776, interweaving, on both sides of the Atlantic, the actions and decisions that led Great Britain to undertake a war against her rebellious colonial subjects and that placed America’s survival in the hands of George Washington.

    In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence—when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

    Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King’s men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

    Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough’s 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

    Editor's Note

    Essential walkthrough…

    From one of America’s most beloved historians, the Pulitzer Prize–winning McCullough, comes the essential walkthrough of the pivotal year when the Declaration of Independence was signed but the Revolutionary War raged on.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMay 24, 2005
    ISBN9780743551779
    Author

    David McCullough

    David McCullough (1933–2022) twice received the Pulitzer Prize, for Truman and John Adams, and twice received the National Book Award, for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback. His other acclaimed books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, The American Spirit, The Wright Brothers, and The Pioneers. He was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. Visit DavidMcCullough.com.

    More audiobooks from David Mc Cullough

    Related to 1776

    Related audiobooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Tragedy of Edmund Morris

      May 28, 2019

      The Tragedy of Edmund Morris
      5 min read

    • Article

      Culture Chronicle

      Jul 4, 2021

      Culture Chronicle
      7 min read

    • Article

      An Enlightenment King Vindicated

      Nov 25, 2021

      THIS OUTSTANDING NEW BIOGRAPHY of George III is timely. The first of the Hanoverians to identify as British was mocked, slandered and vilified during his lifetime and is still regularly cited in the American media as the epitome of tyranny. Over the

      5 min read

    • Article

      CHARLES II's CURSED REIGN

      Apr 20, 2023

      CHARLES II's CURSED REIGN
      11 min read

    • Article

      Q&A

      Feb 17, 2022

      Q&A
      3 min read

    • Article

      Hero Of The Highlands

      Aug 14, 2020

      Hero Of The Highlands
      4 min read

    • Article

      The People’s Republic Of Britain

      Mar 17, 2022

      On 5 March 1650, early in the life of the new Commonwealth of England, a state funeral was held. There was a stellar turn-out for Roland Wilson, army officer and politician. Almost the whole of the new political establishment was there: the head of t

      6 min read

    • Article

      Crazy For Cider

      Aug 25, 2021

      JAMES CROWDEN is a poet, shepherd and total cider nut. In this, at least his third book on the subject, there is no other drink but that it suffers from his passion for cider, apple brandy and cider’s delicate, sweet sister, perry—and almost no momen

      5 min read

    • Article

      Laughing STOCK

      Jul 17, 2020

      Laughing STOCK
      4 min read

    • Article

      Anniversaries

      Apr 16, 2020

      Anniversaries
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Siege

      May 12, 2022

      The Siege
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Making Of A Monarch

      Nov 24, 2022

      The Making Of A Monarch
      6 min read

    • Article

      Road To rebellion

      Nov 24, 2022

      Road To rebellion
      11 min read

    • Article

      Britain’s Black Trailblazers

      Oct 1, 2020

      Britain’s Black Trailblazers
      14 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Jun 9, 2022

      May’s Q&A mentioned Vere St Leger Goold, the loser of the 1879 Wimbledon final, who eventually died on Devil’s Island [a French penal colony]. It reminded me of the story of the man who beat him in that final: John Thorneycroft Hartley, whose “prepar

      4 min read

    • Article

      How George V Won The War

      Sep 2, 2021

      How George V Won The War
      8 min read

    • Article

      Anniversaries

      Apr 14, 2022

      Anniversaries
      4 min read

    • Article

      Why Isn’t There A Historian Laureate?

      May 4, 2022

      The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee has been greeted with a steady thud of books by familiar names: Robert Hardman; Andrew Morton; Joanna Lumley. Historians have already published interim reports on the Queen – the volume of the Penguin Monarchs series on E

      3 min read

    • Article

      'Black Tudors' Reveals a Surprising and Overlooked Chapter of History

      Nov 16, 2017

      Hidden in British archives and parish records are the identities of dozens of black people who lived in England during Tudor times.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Line Of Duty

      Apr 13, 2023

      The Line Of Duty
      7 min read

    • Article

      The King Of Westminster

      May 24, 2023

      The King Of Westminster
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Lying Game

      Jun 30, 2021

      Now that we’re all being asked to prove our identity every time we go out to lunch, the idea of being an impostor seems quite attractive. But could we go as far as Anna Sorokin, the lorry driver’s daughter from a Moscow suburb who passed herself off

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for 1776

    4/5

    2,956 ratings165 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I have never heard so much detail as I just heard. It has served to whet my appetite to learn more. I want to study the geography and to learn more about all the key players in this event. I had no idea about the losses and disappointment in the latter half of 1776. I truly believe our great generals were led by divine authority. I am eternally grateful for their persistence and faith.
    • 5/5
      Masterfully written and read. A must read for anyone interested in America.
    • 4/5
      "1776" by David McCullough is essentially a military history of the first part of the American Revolutionary War: namely, the events that took place in the year 1776. The book heavily emphasizes troop movements, battles, strategy, and the actions of top generals- especially George Washington. In this way, it bears some resemblance to Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August."I was a little disappointed in the book's incompleteness. The Revolutionary War lasted about seven years, and this book covers a span of less than one year. Furthermore, the book's sole focus on military matters makes it hard to get a sense of what life was like for anyone who wasn't a soldier or general. One example of an author who did a better job providing comprehensive political and military coverage of an important conflict was William Shirer with his "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich."Nonetheless, "1776" does a great job covering its specific niche. The book is interesting, readable, and frequently quotes the correspondence of real people involved in the events, giving a sense of immediacy and credibility to the work. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested in the military history of the early Revolutionary War.
    • 4/5
      A nice, overall summary, of the events during the year "1776" of The American Revolution.
    • 5/5
      David McCullough is as good an author as speaker and orator, I couldn't imagine it being read by anyone else!
    • 5/5
      McCullough knows how to tell a story. He makes history come alive. Every American would benefit from reading this story to gain a true understanding of the sacrifices made by the founding fathers, the soldiers, the citizens of the colonies, in the name of freedom. It is a story of ordinary people rising to the occasion and doing extraordinary things for “a glorious cause.” It makes me proud to be an American.
    • 5/5
      Well worth listening to.
      I had no idea we won by a thread.
    • 4/5
      I thought this book would be about everything that happened in 1776; instead it focuses on the activities of the Continental Army in 1776. 1776 is still a fine title, when you consider that everything Americans hold dear about that year would never have come to fruition without the efforts of George Washington, his generals, and his soldiers. I would have appreciated either a subtitle or preface, however, to set my expectations.I found this book to be impossible to follow, on first reading, because I did not have a deep enough understanding of the Revolutionary War to understand the context. Then, when I came back to it after reading Chernow's Washington biography, I was able to follow it, but found it didn't add much information to what was in Chernow. However, Chernow's book came out five years after McCullough's, and when I went back to the relevant chapter in Chernow I found that 1776 was heavily cited in the footnotes. So a lot of 1776 might have been original when it first came out.Overall, I would say the Chernow biography is a must-read, and that 1776 adds some color. McCullough does have more of a flair for the dramatic. I would have given 1776 5 stars except I found that the lack of maps was a huge drawback to following the battles.
    • 2/5
      Poor audio and just couldn't hold my attention after more than an hour in.
    • 5/5
      I had read this book before, but it is even better to hear McCullough read it
    • 5/5
      Excellent recounting of a single pivotal year in the American Revolution.
    • 5/5
      No imother Historian is quite like David Mccullough it is so well developed for historians
    • 4/5
      I read this as part of my regular July reading - which is always about the Revolutionary War. Yes, it took me a while to finish. But that's because this is a dense book, packed with details. The research that went into this work is staggering. With all the minutia, it could have easily been a dull, dry book. But McCullough wove the details into a riveting narrative about the first year of the War of Independence. It was as if I was there with them, Washington and Knox and Howe and Greene and Cornwallis. McCullough tells the story of fierce, flawed, amazing men, doing incredible things. A well-written work, worthy of all its accolades.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful book that touched my heart and gave me a greater appreciation for my country and the men and women that made it so.
    • 5/5
      Since McCullough is one of my favorite authors, it is no surprise that his second work on the time of the American Revolution is another one of truly enjoyed. This book takes us through the entire year of 1776 during the Revolutionary War but focuses on the war aspects rather than the political. The author's ability to look at people involved in these conflicts is second to none. I loved reading about such important players that are glossed over in traditional histories such as Henry Knox and Nathaniel Greene. Without these men history would be very different. I would recomment this book to anyone interested in teh time period as the narrative is exceptional.
    • 4/5
      Very in-depth look at the Revolutionary War, the reasons behind it and how the American troops, small and unskilled as they were, were able to overcome the British and form their own 13 colonies united together as the United States of America. I loved learning about General George Washington and his great leadership skills. (Book on CD from the library)
    • 4/5
      I'm surprised I haven't read anything by McCullough until now. 1776 was full of detailed stories about the figures involved in the Continental Army, and demonstrates the importance of all the little things you don't typically hear about in general stories of military conflict. I listened to this on audio, and it was great to hear this read by the author himself. It was like carrying around a Ken Burns documentary I could slip into any time I wanted.
    • 5/5
      How ungrateful we can be. Thank god for good men like general Washington and those men who sacrificed so much for freedom.
    • 4/5
      Good book. You know the Americans win independence but at the time they didn’t. This book describes one piece of the journey in detail. Amazing what soldiers went through. They almost sound like prisoners of war with some marching for miles in snow without shoes and at other times standing in trenches with water to their waists for long periods of time.
    • 4/5
      David McCullough writes of the ordeals the continental army and their leader went through in 1776. A recount that you could feel the pride and determination these men felt in their drive for independence. The history books we've read from grade school to college provides the details but the author has painted the portrait for all to see and appreciate the magnitude of the events that took place.
    • 5/5
      The book is excellent the recording is not great. Too quiet.
    • 5/5
      Wow! God's providential hand on America's founding has been incredible. Wonderful recounting of familiar tales with lots of new information.
    • 5/5
      The personal stories woven together masterfully.
      The author reads very well.
    • 5/5
      Loved it! Merica! Barely made it but we're here. Let's go Brandon.
    • 5/5
      A fascinating read that taught me a lot about the American revolution and gave me some new perspectives on it! Read almost like a novel.
    • 5/5
      Tremendous read! I think when we think about 1776, George Washington, and the Revolutionary War in general (when we think about it at all), we don't consider the hardships endured, the fact that most of the Continental Army was made up of farmers, shop keepers, and even young boys who knew nothing of soldiering. We also probably tend to forget the overwhelming odds against us. The British has the world's best military force. In "1776" David McCullough makes all the abundantly clear in this excellently written book.The only reason I dinged the book 1/2 a point is because of geographical issues. I'm pretty bad at geography in general, but because so much happens in the Boston, and especially New York/New Jersey area, I found it difficult to space locations out in my head. There were maps of the New York and New Jersey areas, but they were from the era, which made it a bit difficult to follow. Also, what appears to be important locations seemed to be right in the crease of the book, making it near impossible to read. I wish it included more simple maps to provide those who don't know the New York area a better understanding of troop movements and locations. But this is a relatively minor problem. The text of the book is of course far more important and excellently written.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorites by David McCullough. A fantastic book.
    • 3/5
      McCullough does best when he's got a lot of room to rove. He's a masterful storyteller, but trying to confine this epic to the framework of one year just made me feel like a giant in a small room - getting all sorts of cramped muscles.
    • 5/5
      “As the season is now fast approaching when every man must expect to be drawn into the field of action, it is highly necessary that he should prepare his mind, as well as everything necessary for it. It is a noble cause we are engaged in, it is the cause of virtue and mankind, every temporal advantage and comfort to us, and our posterity depends upon the vigor of our exertions.” – General George WashingtonHistory as an art form. History as literature. David McCullough writes the books we love to read. He paints with words the lives of our history and we see with new refracted focus what it means to be an American. I am so glad I stumbled across Tru•Man from Independence, Missouri one day browsing through my favorite book store. And so started my voyage of discovery, my journey into the narrative of America as seen through the eyes of great Americans.One can consider all of history to be a narrative. The trick for the historian is to capture the zeitgeist of the time without predisposing the judgements of the current era upon the earlier era. Mr. McCullough captures the universal essence of humanity in his narratives. He writes of people we knew little of and brings them out of the shadows into their deserving place in history so we can get to know them better.It can also be said that if we do not know from whence we came, we can not know where we are going, as we have no point of reference. It is only by understanding this vast continuum of events that we can understand our own place in time.
    • 5/5
      McCullough's book sets for itself a narrow scope, presumably with the intent of focusing a magnifying glass on a time, place, and persons of critical importance to the revolution. He clearly succeeds, but leaves me wanting more.

      In 1776, we cover the movements, battles, and decisions of the year, more or less ending with the triumphs of Trenton and Princeton. In the process, we see our first president suffer setbacks and the consequences of poor decisions. The author does a brilliant job of creating literary narrative of historic events and provides us with the details in a colorful way. It is deserving of the awards and praise, but I cannot leave the subject with the smallest of complaint: I wanted more. But perhaps I'm alone in enjoying the massive, thorny texts I do. All readers should enjoy this book greatly!