Paul Revere’s Ride

Paul Revere's famous ride as learned by most elementary school kids in the U.S. is exciting, breathtaking stuff.  He rides his horse frantically through the town, alerting Bostonians to the imminent arrival of “the British” (ignoring the fact that most colonists thought of themselves as British).  The lanterns are hung in the Old North Church and the day is saved.  I loved the story as a kid.  I loved visiting the old church when I had a chance to take a trip to Boston.  The story was one that helped bring history to life and wasn’t hard for a kid to imagine and to wish to emulate.

 
Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer (ISBN: 0-19-509831-5) is an in-depth biography of the man whose famous horse ride and plan to warn the colonists of impending danger has largely withstood the test of time and has been passed down to the present day through prose, poetry, and visual art.  Paul Revere’s father was a poor French boy when he arrived in the New World, but hard work allowed him to establish himself and provide a solid foundation for his family.  Revere followed in his father’s footsteps by learning to silversmith.  He added engraving to his repertoire along with being unafraid to try his hand at other things, including dentistry (not exactly the science we know today).  He was also a master networker and communicator who felt and filled a large civic duty.  He was a part of multiple civic organizations and participated fully in various local boards and commissions.  People up and down the Massachusetts coast knew and trusted him.  He did undertake his famous nighttime ride, but he was not alone, and it didn’t involve only the Old North Church.  Revere rode one route while two other men took a different route.  Revere’s was arguably more successful, as he made contact with more people than the other riders, but both played an important role.  As they made contact in the towns and villages near Boston, other riders then carried the warning farther inland or farther north.  Wildly, Revere was actually apprehended briefly by a British patrol, but they let him go after questioning.  Ultimately, the other Massachusetts towns were warned in time to prepare for the coming of the British army.  After the famous ride, Revere went on to continue his involvement in American politics, including making engravings that told the colonists’ side of the story and helped organize them around the revolutionary cause.  Revere made many contributions above and beyond his famous ride to the revolutionary effort.

 
I thought the book was really good.  I was a little worried when, at the beginning, the author noted that he would tell a bit about British General Thomas Gage as well, but it turned out that didn’t distract from Revere’s story.  Given the role Gage played in British efforts, it probably helped to know some of this background.  There were a number of illustrations throughout the book, which I thought were interesting.  The true story of Paul Revere’s ride, of course, doesn’t exactly match the famous poem; it’s likely better and doesn’t change at all the inspiration that the story provides us, encouraging us to sacrifice for a good cause.  Revere provides an excellent example of what an involved citizen should be.  He participated in local formal and informal bodies, contributing time, effort, skill, and means to the cause of freedom.  He was willing to contribute himself to liberty’s cause.

 

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