Paul Revere’s Ride
By
Helen WerntzForest Acres Elementary School
November, 2001
American PatriotPaul Revere was an American
Patriot who, along with many other colonists, was angered
by the British troops who were living in Boston. On March 5,
1770, a group of angry colonists gathered near some British soldiers and shouted insults at them. Soon a fight
broke out and the soldiers fired their guns. Five colonists
were killed in the “Boston Massacre.” Paul Revere
printed a picture of the event for the newspaper. Needless
to say, the picture and the story angered even more
colonists!
Paul & the “Tea Party”On the night of
December 16, 1773, Paul was involved in the
Boston Tea Party. He and a group of men
dressed up as Native Americans, climbed
onto a British ship, and threw English tea into Boston Harbor. This was a protest on the high taxes that the
English placed on the price of tea.
Tensions between the American colonists and the British
soldiers got worse. British General Thomas Gage learned that two Patriot leaders, John Hancock and Samuel Adams
were hiding out in the town of Lexington. He also learned that the Americans had been
stockpiling weapons and military equipment in the
town of Concord. He ordered approximately 800 British
soldiers to arrest Hancock and Adams and seize the weapons.
The Secret Signal
Paul Revere found out about General Gage’s plans and decided he needed to do
something to help the Patriots. He would warn Hancock and
Adams and the people of Concord.
He arranged for friends to give a secret signal to let him know how the British troops would
leave Boston.They were to put one lantern in the
steeple of Old North Church if the British would be coming by
land and two lanterns if they would be moving by sea.
Finally Paul saw the signal…two lanterns!
Missing Spurs!Paul’s friends agreed to
take him across the river in a boat. There he would find a swift
horse waiting for him. Just as he was about to
get into the boat, he realized that he had
left his spurs at home. He would need them
for such a an important mission!
Fortunately, Paul’s dog had followed him to the river. Paul wrote a a note to his wife, attached the note to the dog’s collar, and
told the dog to go home. When the dog returned, Paul’s spurs were tied to his collar
and the note was gone! Now, Paul
was ready for his important ride!
Now you see why dogs are
called Man’s Best
Friend!
Paul’s RideOn the other side of the
river, Paul Revere and another patriot,
William Dawes, rode in different
directions to try and warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were on their way to arrest
them. They also wanted to tell the colonists in the
towns of Lexington and Concord that the British soldiers were
on their way!
The British are
Coming!
Paul rode his horse, Brown Beauty, into the night. When he reached the town of Lexington, he
shouted warnings, “The regulars are out!” (The British are coming!)
William Dawes arrived in the town soon after
Paul. They found the house where John
Hancock and Samuel Adams were staying. They warned them to leave or they would soon be arrested or
killed.
The End of the Ride
Paul and William Dawes met up with another Patriot, Dr. Samuel
Prescott. The three of them headed to Concord to warn of the British invasion. They had not gone far
before they were spotted by British soldiers. Dawes and Prescott
escaped, but Paul was stopped. He managed to get away from the
soldiers, but his horse was taken from him. He had to walk back to Lexington, but he will always be
remembered for his
famous midnight ride.
ResourcesSlide 2—The Boston Massacre
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/pages/jb_0305_boston_1_e.html
Slide 5—Old North Church
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?detr:16:./temp/~ammem_8I5V::displayType=1:m856sd=det:m856sf=4a27729:@@@mdb=eaa,aap,aaeo,rbaapcbib,aasm,ftvbib,aaodyssey,hh,gottscho,mharendt,bbpix,bbcards,magbell,lbcoll,rbpebib,calbkbib,tccc,lhbcbbib,cwband,cwnyhs,gmd,cwar,cola,consrvbib,bdsbib,coolbib,coplandbib,curt,dag,musdibib,fsaall,mfd,papr,aep,fine,dcm,cmns,flwpabib,afcreed,cowellbib,toddbib,lomaxbib,ngp,afcwwgbib,raelbib,gottlieb,mtj,alad,wpa,mal,scsm,mcc,mmorse,aipn,ncpm,ncpsbib,omhbib,pan,vv,wpapos,psbib,pin,presp,lhbprbib,qlt,ncr,relpet,dukesm,mussm,mesnbib,denn,amss,fpnas,svybib,runyon,wtc,detr,hlaw,lhbumbib,varstg,horyd,mgw,hawp,nawbib,suffrg,nfor
Slide 6—Paul Revere’s House
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?detr:16:./temp/~ammem_8I5V::displayType=1:m856sd=det:m856sf=4a27729:@@@mdb=eaa,aap,aaeo,rbaapcbib,aasm,ftvbib,aaodyssey,hh,gottscho,mharendt,bbpix,bbcards,magbell,lbcoll,rbpebib,calbkbib,tccc,lhbcbbib,cwband,cwnyhs,gmd,cwar,cola,consrvbib,bdsbib,coolbib,coplandbib,curt,dag,musdibib,fsaall,mfd,papr,aep,fine,dcm,cmns,flwpabib,afcreed,cowellbib,toddbib,lomaxbib,ngp,afcwwgbib,raelbib,gottlieb,mtj,alad,wpa,mal,scsm,mcc,mmorse,aipn,ncpm,ncpsbib,omhbib,pan,vv,wpapos,psbib,pin,presp,lhbprbib,qlt,ncr,relpet,dukesm,mussm,mesnbib,denn,amss,fpnas,svybib,runyon,wtc,detr,hlaw,lhbumbib,varstg,horyd,mgw,hawp,nawbib,suffrg,nfor
Slide 8—Map of Boston Area
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/home/www/data/gmd/gmd376/g3764/g3764b/ar090000.sid&style=armap&itemLink=D?gmd:1:./temp/~ammem_RVYv::&title=A+plan+of+the+town+and+harbour+of+Boston+