Study Guide for AP US History Summer Reading Assignment -- 1776, by David
McCullough
DUE ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS! NO EXCEPTIONS! THIS IS FOR A
MAJOR GRADE.
This assignment is to be done on your own. This is not a group assignment. Failure
to do this assignment on your own will result in removal from AP United States
History.
If you finish this assignment BEFORE the first day of class you may email it to Mr.
Clifford at mclifford@bdcs.org. Submissions received in June will receive extra
points on a later assignment in the semester.
Students who do not perform well on this assignment may be asked to leave AP US
History.
Be able to explain who made the following statements, and why they did. Write a brief description (3-5
sentences or more) about each quotation.
Chapter 1:
p. 6 “Suppose the colonies do abound in men, what does that signify? They are raw, undisciplined,
cowardly men.”
p. 6 ‘…with 5000 British regulars (I) could march from one end of the American continent to the other.’
p. 15 “We are fighting for the subjection, the unconditional submission of a country infinitely more
extended than our own… Should we not succeed…, an eternal separation will follow and the grandeur of
the British empire will pass away.”
p. 15 “Every Machiavellian policy is now to be vindicated towards the people of America.”
p. 17 “Lord Chatham, the King of Prussia, nay, Alexander the Great, never gained more in one campaign
than the noble lord (North) has lost—he has lost a whole continent.”
p. 18 “I would abandon this contest were I not most intimately convinced in my own conscience that our
cause is just and important.”
Chapter 2
p. 49 (2.2) “I feel great distress…that my abilities and military experience may not be equal to the
extensive and important trust. However…I will…exert every power I possess …for the support of the
glorious Cause.” p. 66 (2.3) “…I shudder every time I hear the sound of a gun…But I endeavor to
keep my fears to myself as well as I can.”
p. 68 (2.3) “Permit me then to recommend from the sincerity of my heart, ready at all times to bleed in my
country’s cause, a Declaration of Independence, and call upon the world and the Great God who governs it
to witness the necessity, propriety and rectitude thereof.”
Chapter 3
p. 83 (3.1) “It is not easy to conceive of the difficulties we have had” and “We shall cut no small figure
through the country with our cannon.”
p. 90 (3.2) “Proceed, great chief, with virtue on thy side/ Thy every action let the goddess guide.”
p. 105 (3.3) “Surely it is the Lord’s doings and it is marvelous in our eyes!”
p. 109 (3.3) “…the fact remains that the army which was sent to reduce the province of Massachusetts Bay
has been driven (out) and that the standard of the provincial army now waves in triumph over the walls of
Boston.”
Chapters 4-7
p. 145 (4.3) “Those who have committed no fault want no pardon. We are only defending what we deem
our indisputable rights.”
p. 224 (6.2) “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
p. 251 (7.1) “These are times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this
crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of
man and woman.”
p. 267 (7.2) Sir William, he, snug as a flee,
Lay all this time a snoring;
Nor dreamed of harm, as he lay warm
In bed with Mrs. Loring
p. 280 (7.3) “The storm continued with great violence, but was in our backs, and consequently in the faces
of the enemy.”
p. 286 (7.3) “…I shall constantly bear in mind that as the sword was the last resort for the preservation of
our liberties, so it ought to be the first thing laid aside when those liberties are firmly established.”
p. 291 (7.3) “ (there were perhaps)…no people on earth in whom a spirit of enthusiastic zeal is so readily
kindled, and burns so remarkably, as among Americans.”
Focus Questions
(Source: Madison
Write AT LEAST one paragraph for each of the following questions.
Public Library)
1. Why do you think that McCullough chooses to begin 1776 with King George III of England? How does
this set the tone for the historical events about to unfold?
2. Describe the differences between the British and Colonial armies. Did the untrained, impromptu
existence of the Colonial army give it any advantages over the British? What kind of insight into the
military experience did the wealth of letters and other first hand sources McCullough provide?
3. One of the key figures in McCullough’s account is General George Washington. Did 1776 change your
perspective on Washington? How would you describe Washington’s character? Do you think that
Washington was a good leader? Do you think that there was anything particular about Washington that
enabled him to turn a losing battle into a victory?
4. What kind of men were Nathanael Green and Henry Knox? What was their role in the success of the
military? Why do you think Washington selected out these two untrained men above others and despite his
distaste for New Englanders?
5. Did any of the events during the year of 1776 surprise you? Has reading about the military’s experience
altered your view of the events that were simultaneously taking place in Philadelphia? How do you think
the soldiers later felt about the 4th of July as a holiday, knowing that they did not receive news of the
Declaration of Independence until well after the 4th?
6. How did you find the pace of the book? Did McCullough’s method of having events unfold make you
feel you were living in 1776?