On the night of April 18, 1775 Paul Revere carried the news to the American patriots that the British were on the march. This historical ride was recognized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1863 poem "Paul Reveres’ Ride."

Paul Revere was born on January 1, 1735 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the third son of Apollos DeRevoire. Apollos was a silversmith.

His parents sent him from France to America when he was twelve years old. They wanted him to be free and to choose his own religion and work. Apollos chose to be a silversmith and when Paul was asked what he was to become he replied that he would become a silversmith and help his dad in the store. So Paul quit school and worked with this father. When Paul was nineteen years old his father died.

When Paul was 22 he married Sarah Orne. He had eight children by her. She died in 1773. Paul then married Rachel Walker. He also had eight children by her. Five of Paul’s children died during infancy.

Paul was soon lacking money so he decided to make things that people wanted such as spoons, buttons, buckles for shoes, and rims for eyeglasses. He learned to work with copper. He drew pictures on copper plates. Paul even learned to make teeth for people who needed it. Paul’s oldest son, Paul, was learning to be a silversmith.

The Americans were very angry about having to pay taxes to England. They were extremely angry about the tax on tea. So one night in December of 1773 Paul and about fifty other patriots climbed aboard three English ships loaded with tea and dumped all the tea into the water. This famous action was the Boston Tea Party. To get back at Paul and the Americans England closed the Boston Harbor.

Paul and the other patriots thought that America should be free even if they had to fight for it. So they started training soldiers who were called minutemen.

Paul was a messenger who brought news from all over the United States to Boston. The news was that the English were sending soldiers to Concord to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The minutemen needed to be alerted of when they were on the march, where they were on the march, where they were coming from, and if they were coming by land or by sea. Paul Revere went to a church where he used to work as a child and asked a man to "show one lantern from the tower if the soldiers move by land." "Show two if they move by sea." Paul watched so he would know their plans.

One day he knew they were coming by boat. The church tower showed two lanterns. So Paul rode very quickly to the house of Samuel Adams and John Hancock to warn them. The night was April 18, 1775 that he made that imp9rtant ride, but he never finished the ride because the British captured him before he got to Concord. William Dawes finished the ride. This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

Paul remained to be involved in the war. He made gunpowder, sheets of copper to use on ships, buildings, bells, shops, schools, and churches.

By this time Paul Revere had grown old. He died in Boston on May 10, 1818.