What was the most remarkable summer in American history? In his book “Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence”, Joseph J. Ellis writes, what may be, the winning answer. Ellis tells the story of summer1776, when the colonies declared their independence and some of our countries most significant figures emerged.
“Revolutionary Summer” takes place from about May1776 to October 1776, when the most momentous events took place that started our country’s founding. He expands on key people and moments in order to draw conclusions and broaden our understanding of the event as a whole. Ellis observes that the events of the summer of 1776 have often been told from a political or from a military viewpoint, but he believes they can be truly understood as a mix between both viewpoints.
At the time, the largest invasion fleet in history was sailing into New …show more content…
But the point is that the military integrity of the army, which Washington described as “half starved, always in Rags, without pay’’ was, as Ellis puts it, “the strategic center of the rebellion’’. It prevailed, and with it, so did the new nation
At the end of the book, Ellis raises the historical question of “what might have happened to the independence movement if the British had moved aggressively against the Continental Army in New York?” He assumes the American army would have been demolished, but points out that another army could have been raised.
“Revolutionary Summer” tells an old story in a new way, with a fresh new way to make readers interested in the American Revolution and the beginning of the United States. Joseph Ellis knows his history and writes a very detailed and moving description of the summer of 1776, probably the most significant summer in American