Guidelines for writing a book essay on Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution, by Nathaniel Philbrick
Introduction: In our last section of the course, we will spend some time on the American Revolution. I
have assigned Philbrick’s book because I think it is important for everyone to read at least one book on
the founding of the United States, and because Philbrick writes in a style I like to refer to as “creative
non-fiction”—he is a great story teller. And his books are based on meticulous research. This book is not
a novel—it is non-fiction.
This is a three paged, double-spaced, font size 11 paper. When you quote directly from the book
include the page number in parentheses at the end of the quote (the essay should have 3 quotations from the book). The essay is due on April 19th in the
drop box.
Structure your essay around these ideas:
1. Philbrick develops many characters in the book. What did you learn about the following characters:
John Quincy Adams, George Washington and Joseph Warren?
2. Respond to the following question: Why was the Battle of Bunker Hill such a significant event in the
early stages of the American Revolution?
3. In what ways did Philbrick increase your understanding of the founding of the United States?
You can find interviews of Philbrick on Youtube, and of course there are reviews and summaries of his
books online. It is great to use these resources, but do not make the mistake of copying and pasting
parts of reviews, etc. into your paper—that is plagiarism. Copying and pasting information generated by
A-I is also plagiarism. The penalty for plagiarism is no points for this assignment.