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Paul Revere

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Paul Revere
John Singleton Copley, Portrait of Paul Revere. c. 1768–1770, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Born(1735-01-01)January 1, 1735
(O.S.: December 21, 1734)
DiedMay 10, 1818(1818-05-10) (aged 83)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)Silversmith, colonial militia officer
Political partyFederalist
Spouses
  • Sarah Orne
    (m. 1757; died 1773)
  • Rachel Walker
    (m. 1773; died 1813)
Children
  • 8 with Sarah Orne
  • 8 with Rachel Walker
including Joseph
Parent
Signature

Paul Revere (/rɪˈvɪər/; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)[N 1] – May 10, 1818)[3] was a courier, soldier, and leader in the Sons of Liberty during the American Revolution. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and worked there as a silversmith.[3] He was married twice and was the father of 16 children.[4] He died in Boston at the age of 83 and was buried in the Granary Burying Ground.

Revere is well known for his engraving of the Boston Massacre. It was distributed widely within the American colonies and made Americans even more angry with the British.[5] However, he is most famous for alerting the colonial militia that British soldiers were coming before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. In 1860, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about this called "Paul Revere's Ride."

After the Revolutionary War ended in 1801, he opened a metal foundry in Boston called the Revere Copper Company, which was the first copper rolling mill in North America. It is still in operation today. [6] [7] [8]

Midnight Ride

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Revere is most famous for his "Midnight Ride" on the night of April 18–19, 1775. British officials had learned that American Patriots (the leaders of the American Revolution) were storing guns in Concord, Massachusetts. They wanted to destroy the guns. The Patriots thought the British also wanted to capture Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were staying in Lexington, Massachusetts. Revere and a man named William Dawes rode on horseback from Boston to Lexington to warn Adams and Hancock that British soldiers were approaching. He also warned other Patriots along his route.

People commonly believe that Paul Revere arrived in Lexington and shouted his famous quote ("The British are coming!"), but this is false. When Revere arrived in Lexington, he quietly woke up the people and told them about the British to avoid drawing attention to himself.[9] Revere was soon joined by Dawes, who also told the people that the British soldiers were coming.

In Concord, Samuel Prescott joined Revere and Dawes. All three were stopped by British soldiers in a field in the city of Lincoln, Massachusetts. Prescott and Dawes escaped quickly. However, the British soldiers held Revere for about an hour before letting him go. Because his horse was gone, Revere ran back to Lexington, where the fighting had already begun.[10][11]

Almost a hundred years later, Paul Revere's Ride revived his fame.

  1. Revere's date of birth is confused by the conversion between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, which offsets the date by 11 days, and by the fact that only his baptism, not his actual birth was recorded. While his baptism was recorded on December 22, adjusting for the conversion between Julian and Gregorian calendars changes the date to January 1.[1][2]

References

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  1. Gill 1891, pp. 10–11.
  2. Fischer 1994, p. 297.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Paul Revere". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  4. "Paul Revere's Ancestry". The Paul Revere House. The Paul Revere Memorial Association. 1993. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  5. "Paul Revere's Engraving – Explained". BostonMassacre.net. Boston Massacre Historical Society. 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  6. "Our Story - Revere Copper". reverecopper.com. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  7. Zigrino, Kali (20 April 2022). "Revere Copper Products recognized as historic local business". WKTV NewsChannel2. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. I, Sean (13 May 2023). "Paul Revere to ride again atop Revere Copper Products". Rome Sentinel. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  9. Cohen, Jennie. "10 Things You May Not Know About Paul Revere". HISTORY. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  10. "The Real Story of Revere's Ride". The Paul Revere House. The Paul Revere Memorial Association. 2013. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  11. "Paul Revere". Spy and Terrorist Briefing Center. Office of Counterintelligence, United States Department of Energy. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2016.

Further reading

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Other websites

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