Who Was Paul Revere? Find Out More About The American Hero

Paul Revere was a silversmith, an American Revolution Patriot, famous for his midnight ride.

He's the person known for the phrase 'the British are coming,' but who was Paul Revere? Why did he become such a prominent figure in American History?

Born in 1735 in Boston, Massachusetts, Paul Revere was the son of Apollos Rivoire and Deborah Hitchborn. He was the third-born child of Deborah and Apollos among 12 children. Paul Revere was actually Paul Revere II.

His father, Apollos, had changed his name to Paul Revere before his marriage, making himself Paul Revere I. His father was of French origin, while his mother was from Boston, Massachusetts. Apollos came to Boston at the age of 13. He belonged to a French Protestant religious community called Huguenot, and he was also a silversmith. Paul Revere grew up among his mother's family, and at the age of 13, became Apollo's apprentice, dropping out of school, thereby learning about his future trade. His father died in 1754, but Paul could not take over the silver shop as he was too young.

When the tensions amongst the British and colonies reached new heights, Paul Revere was asked to spy on the British Army. He also worked as a messenger for the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. He is also credited with launching the Boston Tea Party when he and his colleagues dressed as native Americans dumped tea in the Boston harbor.

Read on to learn more interesting facts about Paul Revere. Afterward, also check out William Gilbert facts and William McKinley facts.

Fun Facts About Paul Revere

The life of this American Revolution hero was full of fun anecdotes which everyone must know. Paul's father Apollos had fed his country to seek refuge from religious persecution.

Paul was the third of 12 children and the eldest son. His elder sisters died sometime later, making him the eldest surviving child of the family. His mother belonged to a big Boston Massachusetts family who owned a small shipping wharf.

He constantly formed alliances that focused on community, democracy, and duty. For example, he was a member of the Church Bell Ringers' club during his teen years. As a member, he would ring the church bell when assigned.

This little club drew up a memorandum describing the various duties of the members, eligibility criteria to become a member and the club's processes.

He studied under a dentist and learned how to create fake teeth and fix them in a person's mouth using wire.

He designed the continental currency, which was used to pay the soldiers of the rebel army.

He married twice, first to Sarah Orne in 1757. The marriage came to an end with Sarah's death in 1773. They had eight children together. Revere married Rachel Walker shortly after his wife's death in 1773. They also had eight children together. This marriage also ended due to his wife's death in 1813. Out of his 16 children, ten died at a very young age. However, he was the grandfather to his 52 grandchildren.

After the end of the American Revolution, Paul Revere went back to Boston and continued to work as a silversmith, expanding his work in more regions until he died in 1818.

The cause of his death was old age, and his final resting place is Granary Burying Ground, which is supposed to be the third oldest cemetery. This cemetery is the last resting place of several historical figures, including some victims of the Boston Massacre.

Historical Facts About Paul Revere

Paul Revere made the first identification of a dead body done by matching teeth. When Dr. Joseph Warren died in the Battle of Bunker Hill, his body, along with others, was initially led to rest in an unmarked grave that was later exhumed to be examined. Since Paul had worked on Joseph Warren's fake teeth, he recognized them and hence the body.

Paul Revere was also involved in the Boston Tea Party Incident, a protest against British Rule. The protestors boarded three ships in the Boston Harbor carrying cargos of tea. They boarded these ships and threw over the tea-containing cargos into the ocean.

The war in Boston and Concorde were the predecessors of the Revolutionary war. The British troops had planned to crackdown the Massachusetts Provincial Congress.

A lot of engravings created by Revere bear historical significance as they depict historical accounts like the 1770 Boston Massacre, a bloody massacre carried forward by the British soldiers stationed at the Province of Massachusetts Bay. They killed several people on the belief that they were a mob.

Paul Revere's Significance

Before the work of poet H.W. Longfellow was published in 1861, nobody knew much of Paul Revere. He was not a very popular revolutionary war hero. Longfellow's accounts of the midnight ride, largely inaccurate and modified to fit his poem as some say, were what popularized Paul Revere over some other, perhaps more important historical figures.

Revere became a member of the Sons of Liberty group, all of whom played a vital role in the revolutionary war. Another significant figure belonging to this group was John Adams. As members of this group, Revere and William Dawes had set out to warn the group, particularly fellow members Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were supposed to be captured.

Revere and Dawes took separate routes to ensure that even if one of them got caught, the other would deliver the news and alert the members. Both their routes were planned in a manner to warn all patriots on the way.

However, Revere was caught midway by the British troops and could not go further. He had, however, met with Samuel Prescott earlier, who was another member of their alliance, and taken him along. Upon Paul Revere's capture, Prescott luckily was able to carry on and finally inform the Concorde of the arrival of the British soldiers.

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride refers to the event of him riding across the Charleston River all the way to Lexington to warn his comrades of the colonial militia of the arrival of the British invasion, thereby giving them ample time to get ready for the war. This journey and its role in the American Revolution inspired poets and painters to create pieces of art in his honor.

The famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem 'Paul Revere's Ride' and the painting created by American artist Grant Wood titled 'The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere' are inspired by this hero.

However, the poem is also heavily criticized for being inaccurate. While Paul Revere gained all the fame for the midnight ride, he was actually not the one who delivered the message successfully. While on his way, Revere ran into another member named Samuel Prescott. Revere and Prescott were on their way when Revere got caught, but Prescott managed to escape and actually inform the alliance.

It is claimed that Longfellow, in his attempt to paint the picture of a folk hero, intentionally failed to include some crucial details and heroes in his poem, thus giving sole credit for the event to Revere.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Who Was Paul Revere? Find Out More About the American Hero, then why not take a look at William Mcmahon facts or William Penn facts?