Paul Revere Recounts His Midnight Ride of April 19, 1775 (c. 1798) MA Standards: 3.5 Explain important political, economic, and military developments leading to the American Revolution. 3.10 Identify historic buildings, monuments, or sites in the area and explain their purpose and significance. Common Core Standards: RI.3.1; RI.3.2; RI.3.4; RI.3.7; RI.3.9; W.3.1; W.3.2 Curriculum Map Key Questions: What happens when people struggle for independence? Curriculum Map Core Concepts, Skills, & Strategies: Describe the contributions of Massachusetts leaders to the Revolutionary War. Image Source: Statue of Paul Revere, digger5x5, Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-Commercial 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/santa_dale/8411678097/. Rationale and Source Context: In the decade from 1765 to 1775, tensions between the British government and its rebellious North American colonists reached a crisis point. They boiled over into war when the first shots of the American Revolution rang out in Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775 commemorated in Massachusetts as Patriot s Day. Paul Revere s letter gives us a first- hand view of that day, and of events leading to the Revolution s first battle.
Who was Paul Revere and what was his role in the patriot movement? Born in Boston, 1734, he was an artist and master silversmith, an engraver and entrepreneur, a father and an active church member. Revere was also a political organizer and activist of capability, passion and talent. Revere believed that free- born American men like himself had the right to self- government, and he joined the colonial resistance in Massachusetts to preserve that right. Revere was not a top leader of the revolutionary movement. Those were men from the colony s social and economic elite: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Joseph Warren most notably. (All three men are named in Revere s letter and crucial to the events he describes.) Revere played a different role- an intermediary, trusted by those both above and below him on the social spectrum, an active man who knew how to get things done. Historian David Hackett Fisher aptly describes him as an organizer of collective effort in the American Revolution who had an uncanny genius for being at the center of events. His midnight ride, described in the letter, exemplifies that role. By the time Revere s narration begins, the distrust and hostility between Britain s colonial administrators and the rebellious colonists of Massachusetts had created a volatile situation. Boston by 1774 was a city under military occupation. Armed British soldiers (called regulars ) patrolled the streets, loitered by shops and stables and on the wharves, and even lived in people s homes by order of the British crown. Boston s residents bitterly resented the soldiers and taunted them when an opportunity arose. This dangerous back and forth had already led to violence, with the Boston Massacre of 1771 a tragedy turned to useful propaganda for the patriot cause by Paul Revere s widely distributed engraving of the event. Political and military developments had also come to a crisis point in Massachusetts. The British crown had abolished the colony s long- standing right to self- government. But colonial leaders governed illegally, in defiance of British orders. Massachusetts militia companies, formerly serving the British crown, transferred their loyalty to the rebellious provincial government. Patriot rebels collected and concealed stores of gunpowder and weapons. Despite these troubles, General Thomas Gage, Britain s military governor, still believed in early 1775 that the rebellion could be stamped out and armed conflict avoided. Disarming the militias was key. Gage employed a network of spies to inform him of every patriot move. These sources identified the rebel powder supply at Concord as a key target. Gage also planned to arrest Hancock and Adams, who were taking shelter in Lexington. But the patriots too had an active and capable network of spies. Alerted to the British plan in the days and hours before it launched, the rebels developed a counter- response: sending messengers to Concord and Lexington, they would warn the militias and get their leaders to safety. Here the central events of Revere s account begin. Revere penned this account of the midnight ride long after the events, perhaps more than two decades later. He wrote at the request of Jeremy Belknap, a clergyman and historian, also born in Boston, who initiated a project after the Revolution to collect the records of the new nation s
birth. The tale of the midnight ride is an exciting one. But Revere wrote to Belknap in an unembellished and understated style. His corrections and cross- outs, still visible in the manuscript, show a conscientious author trying to get the facts straight. Revere described in sequence, almost hour by hour, the events preceding the Battle of Lexington and Concord as he knew them. Revere apparently sought no personal glory in writing his account: he signed it by name at first, but later crossed through his signature, asking Belknap to call him an anonymous son of liberty. (Belknap evidently ignored this request when he published the letter.) Revere is often remembered as the courageous solo rider of the Revolution due in part to the iconic poem of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. But Revere s own account stresses collective as much as individual effort. It teems with people, named and unnamed, each given credit for individual contributions to the cause. Revere acknowledges, too, that his account is only one version of the story, limited to what he saw and heard on that eventful and chaotic night. Sensibly, he urged Belknap to ask others what they recalled of the same event valuable advice for anyone who seeks to know the truth about the past. Paul Revere s letter shows that people of Massachusetts and Boston played a critical role in the making of the American Revolution. Use it in conjunction with supporting material to introduce 3 rd graders to the Revolution and help them develop key social studies skills, including the mapping and sequencing of historical events. Original Source: Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA. Collections Online. http://www.masshist.org/database/99 Text Complexity (Grade- Level Edited Text)* ATOS Degrees of Flesch- Kincaid Lexile Reading Power 5.9 55 5.9 1020L *The readability measures listed here refer to the adapted grade- level edited version of the text, not the original text.
Suggested Guidance for Teaching Close Reading of Text with Accompanying Materials Pre- Reading 1. Introduce students to the growing tension between Britain and its colony of Massachusetts in the 1770s. Use a children s non- fiction book or magazine about the coming of the American Revolution (see recommendations under Additional Resources), the 3rd grade textbook (Scott Foresman Social Studies: Massachusetts) or this short entry on Revolutionary Boston from the website Liberty s Kids: http://www.libertyskids.com/arch_where_boston.html (Students can follow the hyperlinks to learn more about events and people in Boston s Revolutionary history. Student teams can become class experts on John Hancock, Samuel Adams, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and other related items.) 2. Project the image of Paul Revere s original letter describing his Midnight Ride: http://www.masshist.org/database/99 (Double- click on the image to open in a separate window. Here you can use the scanning and enlarging features to help students focus on special details.) Have students make and share open- ended observations about the first and last pages (e.g. this document is written by hand; the paper looks old; some words are crossed out; it looks like a letter; the individual words or letters they recognize, etc.). Ask them to guess who wrote the document and where the author s name might be found. After they identify Paul Revere s name from the last page of the document, ask students what they know or have heard about him. Record their answers. 3. Explain that students will now read a printed version of the original Paul Revere letter they examined. Ask students to read the text independently, one paragraph at a time. After each paragraph ask them to pause and summarize the main action that took place in that passage. Compare individual summaries and record a class summary of events. Post these in chronological sequence around the room.
1 st Reading: Key Ideas and Details 2 nd Reading: Craft and Structure 4. Focus on these questions for the first reading of the text: a. In the beginning of this document, what reasons did Paul Revere give for recording his memories? (Paragraph 1) b. What details tell you that secrecy was important to the patriots of Boston? c. What did Revere and the patriot s committee observe the week of April 15 th that made them suspicious about British plans? (Paragraph 5) d. Find at least two details in the letter that indicate there were serious tensions between the Boston patriots and the British troops. e. To make his errand a success, Paul Revere had to plan carefully ahead of time, but he also needed to think quickly on his feet when faced with unexpected circumstances. Find one example of each kind of problem- solving in the document (i.e., something he planned ahead and something he figured out on the spot). f. What did Mr. John Hancock and Mr. Samuel Adams do as a result of hearing Paul Revere s message? (Paragraph 13) 5. Focus on these questions for the second reading of the text: a. What tells you that this text was written as a letter? Why does he use the phrase your humble servant in paragraph 15? b. What parts of Revere s story were most exciting to read? How did Revere make his story exciting or suspenseful? c. At the beginning of the letter, Revere told his correspondent Jeremy Belknap he had facts and stories to share. At the end of the letter, Revere asked Belknap to talk to other people who might remember the same events. Why do you think Revere made this request in the end? Why is it important to have more than one person s account of an event?
3 rd Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 6. Focus on these questions for the third reading of the text: a. Why do you think secrecy was important to Revere and the patriot rebels? b. Looking at what Dr. Warren asked Paul Revere to do, and what Revere did do, do you judge his ride to have been a success? c. Based on Paul Revere s letter, which of these two statements do you think is the better description: A) Paul Revere worked mostly by himself to oppose British rule in Massachusetts or B) It took a lot of people working together, including Paul Revere, and a lot of careful organization to oppose British rule in Massachusetts. Point to specific evidence in the document that supports your choice.
Key Vocabulary Tier 2 acquainted with (v.) familiar with *anecdotes circumstances *committee lanterns *messenger patrolled *route set off *signal transporting (n.) stories (n.) facts (n.) organized group that has a goal (n.) lights (n.) person who carries information (v.) guarded; watched (n.) path; way (v.) left (n.) message or warning (v.) carrying; moving Tier 3 alarmed (v.) warned Boston Common leisure mechanics Minutemen North Church Steeple officers tavern your humble servant (n.) open public land shared by the people of Boston in the 1700s; today it is a park (n.) time (n.) working people (n.) specially- trained colonial soldiers of Massachusetts and members of the militias; in the 1700s most were patriots ready to fight against Britain (n.) tall point at the top of a church building; this church still stands in Boston s North End (n.) the bosses of regular soldiers (n.) a place for people to gather, eat, drink and exchange news in the 1700s (n.) words to describe yourself, showing respect to someone else; often a way to sign a letter in the 1700s
Additional Resources: Appleseeds Magazine. Paul Revere. (2001). Burgan, Michael. Voices from Colonial America: Massachusetts, 1620-1776. (National Geographic Children s Books, 2005). Cobblestone Magazine. The Battles of Lexington and Concord. (2002). Fischer, David Hackett. Paul Revere s Ride. (Oxford, 1994). Fritz, Jean. And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? (Puffin, 1996). Kids Discover Magazine. American Revolution. (2000). Liberty s Kids: http://www.libertyskids.com/arch_where_boston.html Schanzer, Rosalyn. George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides. (National Geographic Children s Books, 2007).
Primary Source (Grade- Level Edited Text) Paul Revere Recounts His Midnight Ride of April 19, 1775 (c. 1798) Dear Sir, 1 2 3 4 5 Having a little leisure, I wish to fulfill my promise. I will give you some facts and anecdotes that led up to the Battle of Lexington. I do not remember seeing them in any history of the American Revolution. In the fall of 1774 and winter of 1775 I was one of more than thirty men who formed ourselves into a committee. We were mostly mechanics. Our committee s purpose was watching the movements of the British soldiers. We held our meetings at the Green-Dragon Tavern. We were so careful to keep our meetings secret. Every time we met, every person swore on the Bible that they would not tell anyone about our activities. In the late winter, we frequently took turns to watch the soldiers. Two by two, we patrolled the streets all night. Saturday night April 15th we saw something. The British boats for transporting soldiers were all put in the water and moved about 12 o clock at night. We also found out that the special skilled troops, called grenadiers, were taken off of their other jobs and gathered together. From these movements we expected something serious was going to happen.
Primary Source (Grade- Level Edited Text) 6 7 8 9 10 11 On Tuesday evening the 18 th we observed a number of soldiers marching towards the bottom of the Boston Common. About 10 o clock, Dr. Warren sent for me to come quickly. He begged me to set off immediately for Lexington. Mister Hancock and Mister Adams were hiding there. Dr. Warren thought the soldiers were marching to capture those men. Dr. Warren asked me to warn Mister Hancock and Mister Adams. He had already sent a different messenger to them, Mr. William Dawes, by the land route. A week before I had made an agreement with some gentlemen in Charlestown. If the British left Boston by water, we would show two lanterns in the North Church steeple; and if by land, one lantern as a signal. When I left Dr. Warren s house that night I called upon my friend. I asked him to make the signal. I then went home, took my boots and overcoat, and went to the north part of the town. There I had left a boat. Two friends rowed me across the Charles River. They landed me on the Charlestown side. When I got into Charlestown, I met several friends. They said they had seen our signals. I told them what was happening, and went to get me a horse. I set off upon a very good horse. It was then about 11 o clock and very pleasant. After I had passed Charlestown Neck, I saw two men on horseback under a tree. When I got near them I discovered they were British officers. One tried to get ahead of me, and the other to capture me. I turned my horse very quickly and galloped towards Charlestown Neck. Then I pushed for the Medford Road. The one who chased me, trying to cut me off, fell into a pond. I got clear of him, and went through Medford, over the bridge and up to Menotomy.
Primary Source (Grade- Level Edited Text) 12 13 In Medford I awaked the captain of the Minutemen. After that I alarmed almost every house until I got to Lexington. I found Misters Hancock and Adams at Reverend Mr. Clark s house in Lexington. I told them my errand. Misters Hancock and Adams decided to leave that house and go towards Woburn. * * * 14 15 16 Thus, Sir, I have tried to give you some details only I know about. I have mentioned some names you are acquainted with: I wish you would ask them if they can remember the circumstances I describe. I am, Sir, with every feeling of respect, your humble servant, Paul Revere Original Source: Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA. Collections Online. http://www.masshist.org/database/99.
Student Responses to Text- Dependent Questions: Guidance for the Teacher This document provides guidance on points you and your students might make in response to the text- dependent questions after careful reading. Because some of the questions are open- ended, you may certainly think of other valid responses. 1st Reading: Key ideas and details 4a. He promised he would; he had leisure (time) to do so; he had not seen these stories and circumstances described in other accounts of the American Revolution; his facts and stories were important because they related to an important event in U.S. history, the Battle of Lexington. 4b. Each time they met, committee members vowed to keep their discussions secret; they swore their promise on the Bible, their most important holy book. (Paragraph 3) 4c. British boats were put in the water and moved; the grenadiers were called together. 4d)All of these details show tensions: Revere and the committee of mechanics were spying on the British; they patrolled the streets at night to watch the soldiers (para. 4); the British had many soldiers in the city of Boston, on land and on the water ; the British planned to arrest patriot leaders Hancock and Adams (paragraph 6); a British patrol tried to capture Revere (paragraph 11). 4e) Planned ahead: Revere made an earlier agreement with patriots in Charlestown to use lantern signals (paragraph 7). He left a boat and had friends waiting in the North End to row him across the Charles River (paragraph 9). Thought of on the spot: When British patrol surprised him in Charlestown, Revere changed the direction he was riding and galloped quickly to escape from them (paragraph 11) 4f. As a result of hearing Paul Revere s message, John Hancock and Samuel Adams decided to leave Mr. Clark s house in Lexington and travel to a new location in Woburn to avoid British capture.
2 nd Reading: Craft and Structure 5a. The salutation and closing; the document is written in the first person; it is addressed to a specific individual in the second person, and it answers that person s questions. (Note: typically a letter would also begin with a date, but Revere forgot to write one.). Regarding the phrase your humble servant : Revere was not an actual servant to his correspondent, Jeremy Belknap. This was an expression that people used to show courtesy and respect. Using the phrase to sign his letter, Revere showed that he did not feel mighty or overly proud. 5b.Students might identify these exciting passages, for example: The escape from the British patrol (paragraph 11): Revere used dramatic words/phrases like discovered, very quickly, galloped, chased, trying to cut me off ; he made the reader wait until the end of the paragraph to learn that he got away from the soldiers. The discovery that the British were preparing to send a military expedition out of Boston (paragraph 5): Revere began with the phrase Saturday night April 15 th we saw something ; this built suspense and made the reader want to know more. 5c.Paul Revere wanted Jeremy Belknap to believe his words by having them corroborated. He wanted to show he was being truthful. As he was writing his letter, he may have realized he could not recall every detail. It is important to have more than one version of a story because people s memories can fade. Different people see situations differently, or have different experiences of the same event. 3 rd Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 6a. Secrecy was important to the patriots because (students should be able to identify some of the following): the soldiers could use their weapons to hurt the colonists the activities of the patriot rebels were dangerous the British government was using soldiers to capture and arrest colonists who disagreed with their policies the British were angry about the activities and beliefs of the patriot leaders
6b. Revere s ride was a success. Dr. Warren and the patriot leaders of Boston asked Revere to warn Hancock and Adams that the British were coming to arrest them. He accomplished this. 6c. It took a lot of people etc. is the better description: although Revere was courageous and active in the patriot cause, the main idea students should take away from the document is that it takes many people working together to create major change in history. From start to finish, Revere s letter describes more collective than individual action. He refers to numerous comrades and helpers in the patriot cause and delineates the many ways they helped one another. Specific examples include: Paragraph 2: More than thirty men formed a committee. Paragraph 4: Two by two we patrolled. Paragraph 5: Use of the first- person plural; we expected something serious was going to happen, etc. Paragraph 6: Revere demonstrates the key roles of actors other than himself: Dr. Warren; the second rider William Dawes. Paragraph 7: Revere had worked out a plan with patriot rebels in Charlestown. Paragraph 10: He informed his friends in Charlestown and they helped get him a horse to make his ride. Paragraph 12: he warned the Captain of the Minutemen in Medford. He warned every household on the way to Lexington.