Paul Revere

Paul Revere was a patriot from the start. He was always very patriotic. He never did anything that was not for love of country. Paul Revere was born in December of 1735 in the city of Boston and the colony of Massachusetts and died on May 10, 1818. He came from a very large family and was one of eleven or twelve children. Paul was the oldest son and was named after his father. Paul Revere and his good friend Mickey went to school together until they were thirteen. Then Paul became an apprentice for his father, a silversmith. Mickey also became an apprentice but for an unlikable local tailor. One day Paul discovered that Mickey had gone missing. The Revere family searched everywhere and for many days but found no trace of Mickey. Paul's best friend had disappeared.

Paul was a bell ringer for the church but when it came to a funeral for a loyalist, the patriotic young Paul refused to ring. His strong convictions caused many problems for the Revere family. Mr. Revere was forced to switch from silver to brass-smithing because he lost so many of his loyalist customers after the Loyalist funeral. Eventually business got better and most loyalists forgot about the funeral incident.

Citizens started to hear rumors that Indians were planning to attack Boston. People figured that the rumors were probably true because there had been attacks on local farms around this same time. In the event of an attack, everyone was supposed to go to the Old North Church. When the Indians did arrive the Revere family grabbed their silver, food and blankets. On their way to the church Paul noticed that his mother was crying. He asked her why and she said that Cousin Martha Hitchbourn was at her house on Boston Road and she was too stubborn to leave. As soon as they got to the Old North Church, Paul slipped away, borrowed a horse and rode as fast as he could to Cousin Martha's house. When he got there he prepared a horse for Martha and hid the other horses just in case the Indians checked out the stables. Paul rushed up to the door and shouted his name so she would know it was him. When Cousin Martha answered the door a soldier said that it was too late for them to go back to the church so they went inside and hid. After the attack Paul and his cousin head the drums signaling a Colonist victory.

As Paul got older he became a messenger for the Patriots. His first message was to a well known Patriot (known only by the Patriots, however) Mr. Arnold, who housed runaway slaves, Patriots and others trying to escape the British. Paul Revere had gone to tell him that some British soldiers were coming to search for runaways. After he delivered the message, Mr. Arnold showed Paul one of his workers. It was Mickey, his long lost friend!! Paul and Mickey were overjoyed. Eventually he started delivering more and more messages. He was risking his life for the Patriotic cause. Soldiers were everywhere, always on the lookout for secret messengers like Paul. But Paul continued his dangerous work because he was a true Patriot and wanted to be a part of making his country a free one.

In April of 1775, a committee of Patriots was gathered in Boston with important information for the citizens of the colony of Massachusetts. They needed someone to spread a message throughout the colony. The perfect person for the job was obviously Paul Revere. Paul was forty years old at the time and when he got the assignment he simply replied, "I will go, gentlemen." Those words ring in our hearts. So on the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere saddled up his horse and was off through the villages proclaiming, "The British are coming! The British are coming!" He made it to Lexington to warn to Patriot leaders, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Unfortunately Paul was captured by British soldiers. His other messenger, Prescott, did make it to Concord to warn and prepare the troops. This act was very heroic. It was heroic because if it weren't for Paul Revere we might not be free right now. The "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" was what really made him famous and all Patriots should be proud of him. Paul Revere has taught me to take chances. Paul Revere was a true Patriot. He is my hero and I thank him.