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Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Paul Revere, Beyond the Midnight Ride

Revere's Midnight Ride


Painting of Paul Revere on his famous ride.
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, Edward Mason Eggleston

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear / Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. / On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: / Hardly a man is now alive / Who remembers that famous day and year."

This poem, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1860, detailed Paul Revere’s ride to warn several towns in Massachusetts of approaching British troops. Longfellow’s poem was so popular that Revere became a national hero. Today, hardly a Massachusetts resident is alive who doesn’t know about Revere’s midnight ride, but his contributions to Massachusetts and the American Revolution go far beyond just that. Let’s take a look at the many roles Revere played during his life.