Paul Revere and The Revolution

Paul Revere and The Revolution

Instructions:-

U.S. History Paper Assignment:

Three Contemporary Sources Due in Class: First class day after second exam (worth 10 points of paper grade)

Paper Due: See syllabus.

General Paper Outline: Students will write a 1000+ word paper that analyzes a specific historical event from 1492 to 1865 using five or more contemporary sources (people writing about the event at the time it occurred).The final paper should use material from class, the textbook, and, if necessary, instructor approved secondary sources to briefly describe the event so that someone outside of class would understand the historical context in which the event occurred. Students should also use contemporary sources to analyze how people of the time perceived the event and explain how and why perceptions of the event varied from one source to the next. This analysis should include a description of what each contemporary source chose to focus on when reporting on the event, it should point out major differences in reporting between the sources, and it should attempt to explain why each source focused on what it did. Sources can be a person who witnessed or participated in the event, a newspaper article reporting on the event, or even a person who was not present at the event but had an opinion on the event. These sources can come from diaries, newspapers, government documents, interviews, or any other document written at the time of the event.

Grading: Grades will be assigned based on quality of research, understanding of history, grammar, originality, and adherence to the writing guidelines sheet. The specificity and obscurity of events will also be considered when grading, with less well known and more specific events receiving higher grade consideration than general, well covered topics (if historians have already heavily scrutinized the sources around your event, it essentially means the paper will have to be judged against their work). Primary sources are due for review the class day after the second exam, but they should be brought to the professor or teaching assistant as soon as possible. If students do not bring their primary sources by this time, they will docked ten points from their paper grade (no exceptions). Any hint of plagiarism, including uncited paraphrasing, will result in a zero for the assignment, failure of the class, and a report to the academic disciplinary board. For questions or help, please contact the instructor well BEFORE the paper is due. Late work will not be accepted.

STEP #1: Picking an event: Students will be analyzing the way in which an event was perceived and reported at the time it occurred. The student will choose the event based on the following requirements.

  1. It is a specific event that occurred over a short period of time. Generally the sources should cover something that happened over a short period of time. Picking five sources on a broad topic, such as the American Revolution, will tell the reader nothing because there were many aspects to the conflict and attitudes changed significantly over the course of the eight-year war. If you wanted to look at the American Revolution, it would be better to look for five sources on something more specific, such as a battle during the revolution or even an event or a person’s actions during the battle. The more you can pair things down, the better.
  2. It is not something that has been analyzed extensively. For example, the signing of the Declaration of Independence is specific enough in terms of time, but hundreds of books and thousands of websites have already looked at the way in which the signing occurred. It would be better to look at something that is not as well known. To this point, it might be best to avoid events concerning famous people. Become the world’s expert on an event by being the first to write about it in detail.
  3. It is something that you can find at least five sources that report on it. Although it is encouraged to write on obscure and specific events, you need to make sure that you can find five contemporary sources that cover the topic. Avoid writing on events where you can only find ancillary or remotely related contemporary sources. 
  4. Find something interesting and controversial. Don’t look at something you find boring or something that you feel the professor would like. Use something that looks cool that you happen to come across while searching through the digital archives. Find documents that show past cultures had the same flaws as modern society. Or go the other way and show how things and people in the past were different from us. Find something related to your family or something seemingly supernatural. If you don’t find the subject entertaining, no one else will either. Think outside of the box. A crazy murder. A love story. A story with a family connection. A story you’ve always heard but have always wondered whether or not it was true. Something that might correct modern misconceptions about a historical time period.
  5. Make sure you can explain the history around your event and how it fits into the overall historical context. If you liked and understood a certain lecture, find a primary source from the time. On the other hand, if you didn’t really understand a lecture or you don’t know the big themes of the historical era in which the event occurred, find something else.

STEP #2: Finding contemporary sources: Students need to analyze at least FIVE contemporary sources for the paper.Contemporary sources are documents written at the time of an event or from people who were present at the event. Any contemporary sources may be used for this paper, including newspaper articles, letters, memoirs, military records, court minutes, etc…. Students should make sure their sources meet the following requirements.

  1. Make sure it is written at the time of the event or by someone who witnessed the event. Owing to travel time, the revelation of new information, etc…, people will discuss events for weeks or even months after an event occurred, but usually anything beyond this should not be considered a contemporary source.
  2. Make sure you’re not using a secondary source written by someone long after the event who was not present at the event. This is the same point as above, but it needs to be stated again. You should make sure that you’re not using a historical look at the event. You are using a source from around the time the event occurred. Generally this should mean that the source will be dated close to the day of the event. There are exceptions to this. For example, if someone who was present at the event writes an autobiography at a later date that includes their recollections of the event, this is okay. Just make sure the person had some sort of connection to the event. Sources that are collected and reprinted at later date are also okay to use as long as the document was first written at the time of the event.   
  3. For the third time: make sure the sources were written at the time of the event. DO NOT BE THE PERSON WHO USES COMMENTARY FROM A BOOK WRITTEN 200 YEARS AFTER THE EVENT AS ONE OF YOUR SOURCES. Many people will do this in spite of these three warnings. Do not be one of them. 
  4. MAKE SURE ALL OF YOUR SOURCES DIRECTLY RELATE TO YOUR EVENT. Just because you have a document from around the same time and date as your event doesn’t mean it has anything to do with your event. Make sure that each source goes into detail about your specific event, not something that is somewhat related to it.  
  5. DON’T USE GOOGLE to find your contemporary sources. Google seeks out popular sites, meaning you will end up with contemporary sources on events that have been discussed extensively. Use the digital archives below. Because they use internal search engines and text recognition software, Google’s engine doesn’t search many of them, meaning you will be able to find sources that have not been looked at by anyone since the time the event occurred. Also consider visiting physical archives to find sources.
  6. Pick detailed contemporary sources. The more detailed the primary source, the easier it is to write the paper. Picking an event described at length in multiple newspapers articles, for example, means the student will have no problem summarizing the event. A short newspaper article requires the student to use conjecture. This takes time and can result in a poorly-written paper.
  7. Make sure that you are not using the same source reprinted in different newspapers and try to find the source of the original report. Just like today, where Google, Yahoo, etc…, reprint Associated Press stories as their own, newspapers in the past would reprint stories from other papers. It is okay to use these stories and analyze them, just make sure that you are not using the same story twice. Hopefully this will be obvious.

Primary Source Locations: Here are a few places to find digital historical sources.

Digital Newspaper Websites: This is the safest bet to find a primary source is to look for a newspaper article or series of newspaper articles on one of the websites below.

  1. Elephind.com—A searchable collection of historical newspapers from the United States.
  2. Newspapers.com—Pay site but much better search engine than elephind. Also includes older newspapers than other websites.
  3. Genealogybank.com—Pay site with very good search engine.
  4. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices English newspapers from 1500s to present.
  5. http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/index.vm Spanish Newspapers
  6. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ Texas Newspapers

Digital Archives: These contained scanned or transcribed primary source documents. Many of these documents have only been viewed by the person who wrote them and the archivist who scanned them. Almost every state has digital archives collections concerning their state’s history. For example, the archive below contains letter and documents concerning Spain’s time in Texas. The Federal Writers Project contains interviews with slaves, Indians, and other interesting individuals. It was put together by the federal government.

  1. Digital-librarian.com/history.html Links to numerous primary source websites
  2. https://www.loc.gov/ Library of Congress Papers
  3. Archives.org A number of digitized archives.
  4. http://solomon.nwld.alexanderstreet.com.ezproxy.uta.edu/nwld.search.advanced.html Women’s travel diaries in the 19th century.
  5. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/archivalhome/collection/ead Various family papers.
  6. http://founders.archives.gov/ Founding fathers papers.
  7. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/default.asp Various documents from history.
  8. http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWireIndex=index&f_century=18&q=bison&lang=EN&n=15&p=8&pageNumber=8 French Archives
  9. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaquery.html Papers from early Texas
  10. Pares.mcu.es Documents from Spanish history
  11. http://library.si.edu/books-online Smithsonian digitized sources
  12. Google books—Mostly secondary sources, but also includes some primary sources.
  13. Hathitrust.org—Like google books, has mostly secondary sources.
  14. http://gpp.royalcollection.org.uk/advanced.aspx British royal papers.
  15. https://publicdomainreview.org/ Various archival sources
  16. http://library.uta.edu/usmexicowar/ Primary sources on the U.S.-Mexican War

Local History Societies, family documents, family interviews:

  1. Local historical societies: Almost every city and county has a society that attempts to preserve local history by collecting diaries and letters from prominent individuals. If you find one near you and email about an interesting event in local history you can usually find some great stories.
  2. UTA library
    1. The library has a number of primary sources in its microfilm collection from different aspects of history
    1. Sixth floor museum has a number of primary sources and they can often point students in the direction of primary sources

STEP #3: Writing the paper: Papers should explain the event and analyze the way in which it was reported. Consider the following advice when writing the paper.

  1. You are writing this so someone unfamiliar with the history will understand what you are talking about. Don’t write for the professor. Write for someone outside of class. This means you need to provide historical context and explain the event in basic terms.
  2. At the same time, don’t spend the whole paper explaining the event. You should introduce just enough of the event that your analysis of the contemporary sources makes sense. Use the introduction and perhaps an additional background paragraph to introduce people involved in the event, give dates, and say what happened.
  3. Get to the point. Every sentence should advance the narrative. If you fell you need to add filler to reach 1000 words, you need to choose a different event and sources.
  4. You can use your personal opinion but it should be based on your sources, it should be written as fact, and you should avoid using “I think,” etc…. This is not an opinion piece. The paper is about an event from history and the way it was reported, not about you, how you feel about the event, or what you think the professor wants to hear. Tell the story, explain what the sources say about it, and give reasons why the sources may be reporting things that way.
  5. It’s okay to be wrong. You are reporting what someone else is telling you and interpreting the source using your personal knowledge. The source and your interpretation may be inaccurate, but this won’t affect your grade as long as you use phrases like “according to” when you are unsure of a source’s validity.
  6. Consider using the sample format to write and organize the paper.
  7. You do not need to cite primary sources (because you will turning them in), lecture notes, or the textbook. However, outside sources must be cited in a bibliography.
  8. Paper should adhere to the following format:
    1. Paper must be single spaced, 12-point Calibri font.
    1. Paper must be over 1000 words in length. Anything less than this will see a significant reduction in grade. Quotes do not count toward paper length requirements.
    1. There is a single, one-line space between paragraphs, and paragraphs are not indented.
    1. Students name should be typed into the upper right header of the paper.
  9. Adhere to the following advice when writing the paper.
    1. Paper should not use “I, me, my, you, your, we, us, our” or any other first or second person pronouns in my paper unless material is being quoted.
    1. Write only in the past tense.
    1. Paper does not include contractions.
    1. Use the literal meaning of words and avoid slang, colloquial language, similes and metaphors.
    1. Use topic sentences at the beginning of body paragraphs.
    1. Avoid writing in the passive voice when possible.
    1. Avoid “big words” when simple ones would suffice.
    1. Write simple sentences. (Try to minimize sentences with a lot of commas).
    1. Eliminate sentences that are repetitive and do not advance the narrative.
  10. Turn on all of the editing options in Microsoft Word while writing or during the editing process. This will help you to avoid a number of mistakes.

STEP #4: Editing: Students should adhere to the following rules when editing the paper.

  1. Complete a rough draft of the paper at least a week before the due date. Unless you give yourself time to edit your paper, it will likely be bad. Very bad. Everyone thinks that they’re great writers because that one high school teacher told them they were. That teacher was wrong because everyone is a bad writer. The only thing that makes for good writing is editing, editing, and editing again. If you write a paper the night before it will show and you will likely receive a poor grade. IF YOU WRITE YOUR PAPER THE WEEK IT IS DUE, PLEASE EXPECT TO RECEIVE A POOR GRADE.  
  2. Consider visiting the writing lab or history tutors to improve the papers. The professor and teaching assistant will also be happy to look at any rough drafts up to a week before the paper is due. We will not look at rough drafts after this time.
  3. Turn on all of the editing options in Microsoft Word while writing or during the editing process. This will help you to avoid a number of mistakes.
  4. If you print the paper out instead of editing on the computer, it is often easier to catch mistakes.

STEP#5: Turning the paper in: Students need to do all of the following when turning in the paper. Failure to do so by the required turn in time and date will result in a zero for the paper. No excuses accepted.

  1. At the beginning of class on the day the paper is due, students need to turn in a stapled packet that includes the following:
    1. A hard copy of the paper in the format listed above
    1. Printed, legible copies of all primary sources  
    1. A filled out and signed writing guidelines sheet
    1. If students used sources other than the lectures, textbook, and the included contemporary sources, they need to be cited in a bibliography. If the student just used lecture notes, the textbook, and the included printed sources, no bibliography is necessary.
  2. On the same day that the paper is due, students need to submit an electronic copy of the assignment to a plagiarism detection link on blackboard. The link to submit the paper will appear on blackboard at 11:59pm the evening before the due date and students will have 24 hours from this time to submit an electronic copy of the paper. Students should ONLY submit the paper, not sources, writing guidelines, or a bibliography. The paper submitted to blackboard has to be exactly the same as the paper submitted in class. Failure to submit the paper in EXACTLY this manner will result in failing the assignment.  
  3. ALL PAPER REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING TURN IN PROCEDURE, ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. I may change the requirements for the paper in class. Because students are responsible for all material presented in class, they will be expected to adhere to these changes even if they are not in the writing guidelines. 

SAMPLE STORY FORMAT

ONE PARAGRAPH INTRODUCTION: Your one paragraph introduction should describe the event so that a reader outside of class (someone who is unfamiliar with the history) will understand what they are about to read. Tell them what date the event occurred, people involved in the event, etc…. The reader should have an idea of what they are about to read but they shouldn’t know everything. Give a basic explanation what happened, but save many of the specific details for when you describe the sources in the body. Give a generic or modern interpretation of the event. The end of the introduction should include a one sentence thesis statement summarizing how contemporary sources looked at the event.

PARAGRAPH ESTABLISHING HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Summarize the historical context of the event. This should only include information that is relevant to your event. What was going on at the time of your event that might be important for the reader to know? Consider dovetailing this to a final sentence explaining how, specifically, your event fits into the broader historical trends.

SOURCE #1 PARAGRAPH SUMMARIZING YOUR FIRST SOURCE: Who is your source? If a person, give a sentence or two explaining who they were and why they were reporting on the event. If a newspaper, explain what type of paper it was. How did your source report on the event? What details did your source include that other sources did not? What opinion does the source hold concerning the event? How does this differ from what other sources said about the event? Why do you think they held this opinion and reported on things the way they did? Explain the event from this source’s perspective. Feel free to offer a short quote from your source but avoid word-for-word paraphrasing and excessive quotes (quotes are great for emphases or when the author says something better than you possibly could, but don’t rely on quotes to write the paper for you. Quotes do not count toward word count).  

SOURCE #2 PARAGRAPH SUMMARIZING YOUR SECOND SOURCE: Who is your source? If a person, give a sentence or two explaining who they were and why they were reporting on the event. If a newspaper, explain what type of paper it was. How did your source report on the event? What details did your source include that other sources did not? What opinion does the source hold concerning the event? How does this differ from what other sources said about the event? Why do you think they held this opinion and reported on things the way they did? Explain the event from this source’s perspective. Feel free to offer a short quote from your source but avoid word-for-word paraphrasing and excessive quotes (quotes are great for emphases or when the author says something better than you possibly could, but don’t rely on quotes to write the paper for you. Quotes do not count toward word count). 

SOURCE #3 PARAGRAPH SUMMARIZING YOUR THIRD SOURCE: Who is your source? If a person, give a sentence or two explaining who they were and why they were reporting on the event. If a newspaper, explain what type of paper it was. How did your source report on the event? What details did your source include that other sources did not? What opinion does the source hold concerning the event? How does this differ from what other sources said about the event? Why do you think they held this opinion and reported on things the way they did? Explain the event from this source’s perspective. Feel free to offer a short quote from your source but avoid word-for-word paraphrasing and excessive quotes (quotes are great for emphases or when the author says something better than you possibly could, but don’t rely on quotes to write the paper for you. Quotes do not count toward word count). 

SOURCE #4 PARAGRAPH SUMMARIZING YOUR FOURTH SOURCE: Who is your source? If a person, give a sentence or two explaining who they were and why they were reporting on the event. If a newspaper, explain what type of paper it was. How did your source report on the event? What details did your source include that other sources did not? What opinion does the source hold concerning the event? How does this differ from what other sources said about the event? Why do you think they held this opinion and reported on things the way they did? Explain the event from this source’s perspective. Feel free to offer a short quote from your source but avoid word-for-word paraphrasing and excessive quotes (quotes are great for emphases or when the author says something better than you possibly could, but don’t rely on quotes to write the paper for you. Quotes do not count toward word count). 

SOURCE #5 PARAGRAPH SUMMARIZING YOUR FIFTH SOURCE: Who is your source? If a person, give a sentence or two explaining who they were and why they were reporting on the event. If a newspaper, explain what type of paper it was. How did your source report on the event? What details did your source include that other sources did not? What opinion does the source hold concerning the event? How does this differ from what other sources said about the event? Why do you think they held this opinion and reported on things the way they did? Explain the event from this source’s perspective. Feel free to offer a short quote from your source but avoid word-for-word paraphrasing and excessive quotes (quotes are great for emphases or when the author says something better than you possibly could, but don’t rely on quotes to write the paper for you. Quotes do not count toward word count). 

ONE PARAGRAPH CONCLUSION: Your one paragraph conclusion should briefly analyze the contemporary sources and explain what they tell the reader about the history around the event. Alternately, what do the sources say about how people perceive things differently based on circumstances? What lessons does this teach the reader?

Student Writing Checklist: To be completed and turned in with your paper.

Check each entry to acknowledge that you understand what is required of the final paper.

Format Guidelines:

__My paper is single spaced, 12-point Calibri font, and over 1000 words in length (w/o quotes).

__There is a single, one-line space between paragraphs, and paragraphs are not indented.

Stylistic Guidelines:

__I did not use “I, me, my, you, your, we, us, our” or other first or second person pronouns.

__I wrote only in the past tense.

__I did not use contractions.

__I tried to use the literal meaning of words and did not use slang or colloquial language.

__I did not use similes or metaphors.

__Body paragraphs begin with a topic sentence that helps explain the rest of the paragraph.

__I understand it is usually best to avoid using “big words” when simple ones would suffice.

__I understand it is usually best to write simple sentences (Sentences without a lot of commas).

__I tried to eliminate sentences that are repetitive and do not advance the narrative.

__I tried to avoid generic statements and hyperbole

History Guidelines:

__I used sources written at the time of the event or by someone present at the event.

__I did my best to write so that someone unfamiliar with the history would understand the historical context of the event.

Plagiarism Guidelines:

__I did not copy any portion of my paper from someone else’s work.

__If I used information from outside of the lectures, textbook, and primary source that is not general knowledge, I included a bibliography citing this material.

Submission Guidelines:

__I understand that I have to submit a hard copy of the paper in class on the day it is due.

__ I have stapled printed, legible copies of my five source documents to the paper.

__ I have stapled the writing guidelines and grading sheets to the paper.

__ If I used sources other than the textbook, lecture notes, or included contemporary sources, I also stapled a bibliography to the paper.

__I understand that in addition to turning in the above in class, I have to submit an electronic copy of the paper to the plagiarism detection link on blackboard on the day the paper is due.

By signing this, I acknowledge that I have read and understood the above guidelines. 

                                                                                    _____________________________

                                                                                                Student Signature

Grading Sheet (To be completed by instructor):

___ Primary Source (10 pts) Did student turn three printed, legible contemporary sources on the required turn-in day?

___ Submission (10 pts) Did student submit the paper according to submission guidelines?

___ Format (10 pts) Did student adhere to the format guidelines listed on the checklist?

___ Style (30 pts) Did student adhere to the stylistic guidelines listed on the checklist?

___History (40 pts) Did student adhere to the history guidelines listed on the checklist?

General Comments

___Final Grade

Alternative to Paper Assignment:

Details of Project Due in Class: First class day after FIRST test (worth 10 points of final grade)

Project Due: See syllabus.

General Assignment Outline: Students will produce a high-quality, original interpretation of something from history.  This could be an artistic rendition of a person, event, or concept from history and/or a portrayal of something from history in a new medium. This can be a well-known subject that has been written on extensively, but the student has to present the subject in a new and unique way. Only students who have been paid for their work, students who major in the medium in which they want to work, or students who can provide extensive examples of previous work qualify for this alternative assignment. Students interested in the alternative assignment must also provide an overview of their project to the professor by the day after the second test.

Grading: Grades will be assigned based on originality, understanding of history, quality of work, and adherence to the project plan discussed with the professor. It must be clear that extensive work has been put into the project to receive a high grade. No macaroni depictions of George Washington. For questions or help, please contact the instructor BEFORE the assignment is due. Late work will not be accepted. Project ideas are due the class day after the first exam, but should be brought to the teacher ASAP.

Project Ideas: These are just some ideas. Students should feel free to bring other ideas to the professor or ask about how particular skill sets can be used for historical interpretation. The professor may even have readily available projects for students who qualify for the project but cannot think of a theme. 

  1. Paintings and graphic arts. Students can paint a portrait of a historical figure, depict a historical event, or provide concept art for a historical theme. The can be accurate depictions, but interpretative or funny submissions will also be accepted. The project must be detailed. Students can submit the original work or a photocopy of the work.
  2. Videos. Students experienced in producing videos can provide a live-action, animated, or video-game created depiction of a historical event. This can be any event from history as long as the video contains period relevant visuals. Length of video is flexible but it must be evident that extensive work was put into its production.
  3. Infographics. Students can provide a detailed, clickable infographic over an original graphic, a detailed historical painting, or a historical map. Project must be very interactive and contain interesting and accurate information.
  4. Maps. Students could use vector graphic software, GIS, or other map-making tools to create a detailed historical map or series of historical maps. Students could create GIFS depicting battles, use GIS to depict a historical change over time, or make a map to a historical era that has not been mapped. The professor could provide a subject for a map if need be.
  5. Music. Students could portray a historical event or person in song. Although students may use artistic license, it must be clear what event or person is being described. The recording provided to the professor must be high quality and it must be evident that extensive thought and time was put into the project.  
  6. Translating a historical document into English. Students fluent in more than one language can translate a lengthy document into English. The document must never had been translated into English before and students must consult transcription guides to ensure that they translate correctly.
  7. Photography Exhibit. Display a series of labeled, high-quality photos on a specific historical topic. These should be photos the student has taken themselves. Students could put together a series on forgotten paintings or photos from the past, as long as they follow a common theme and are not easily available on the internet.
  8. Comic Strip. Students with art experience could put together a series of comic strips based on a historical topic or featuring historical characters.
  9. Video Game. Using a video game creation tool (actual programming software, mods, etc…) students could create a historical game. It can be funny and does not have to be long or detailed. However, it should be readily apparent that extensive work was put into the project.

Social Media Projects. Students can have a semester-long social media project. This would need to be something with a clear focus, regular updates, and it must be accurate. For example, a twitter account of a historical figure would need to be updated on a daily basis

Solution.

Paul Revere and The Revolution

Paul Revere was a skilled silversmith who lived in the period before the war in Boston. Paul Revere, born in 1734 in Boston, in his early years he learned writing and silversmith which proved to be a great skill following the death of his father by becoming the family’s breadwinner at a tender age of 19 (Triber 16). There are various events which prompted the tension in Boston between the colonialist and the locals. Paul Revere joined Patriots as a messenger and a rider who carries messages between the secret groups which operated in Boston. Paul was actively involved in the patriot’s war and was among the participations of the Boston Tea party. The participants were supposed to keep their attendance as well as their discussions top secret; in fact, Paul Revere never confirms his presence to the Boston tea party.   It was not until the 18th of April 1775 that Paul took part in one of the most notable events of the revolutionary war. Paul Revere Paul alerted Samuel Adams and Colonel John Hancock when he went to Lexington through Mistick (Miller 83). Together with William and two colleagues from the Patriots warning the people who resided on the way about the colonialist’s march where the British soldiers were approaching Boston. Later, after the warning, Paul Revere witnessed the shot that sounded the on the start of the revolutionary war. Paul Revere participated with other riders in the war, but he became the most famous after the midnight ride years later after his story was published as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Was Paul Revere a real legend or a folk story legend representing other heroes?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a poet who wrote about The Landlord’s Tale (Longfellow and Santore 1-40). Paul Revere’s Ride where he described the events as they unfolded. Henry was a recognized poet who wrote poems on request and mostly to the relevance of the current events. The reason why Henry wrote the poem was to remind the new generation of the sacrifices that the American forefathers went through to gain independence. Therefore, it is right to say that, according to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Paul Revere was a symbolic representation of the sacrifices that the American independence fighters were going through. Paul went on to alert every local in the town of Middlesex about the marching British troops who were at the bay. Although the Longfellow’s excerpt had several men on board, Paul Revere was the most notable character according to the poet.

Letters written to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress on request by Paul Revere in 1775 shows the participation of John Revere in the ride to warn Samuel Adam and captain John Hancock about the impending attack (Goss 318). According to Paul explanation of the events, Paul was alone during the Midnight Ride, went into the Town, and there got a Horse.  Paul describes how Joseph Warren sent him, how he crossed the Charles River with a boat and got a horse at Charlestown battery. In Pauls’ revelations, there is no instant where Paul has company. This raises eyebrows why the story in other sources has several people who went together with Paul.  These were the exact words from the archives which the management wanted to put into account whether Paul’s Revere actions were correct. The Massachusetts Provincial Congress seemed to have some doubts with the events and went all the way to seek clarification with Paul himself (Forbes 342).

Notably, Paul Revere was not famous until 1861 for his actions in 1775 in the midnight ride. His actions were not known until a poem emerged. This explains the reason why it was being considered as just a false story which represented the typical American who needed to relate history with a hero which made the actions of these heroes to be overrated. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. when speaking during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta he said that every person in America needed some Paul Revere conscience to be aware of the revolutionary at hand(Lepore). This clearly describes the supernatural association that Paul was being referred to by the American people. It is, therefore, possible that Paul was being praised because of actions that himself did not perform but rather was more of a revolutionary icon(Miller 272).

According to the personal letter written by Paul Revere on his account on the events of that day, he says that he was accompanied by other people on their way to the warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock about the British troops.  Paul seems to be doing normal things that anyone in the same situation could have done. The letter written by Paul was a standard letter which a proud Patriot could write since the revolution was starting. Whenever there is war, truth ceases being replaced by propaganda. The propaganda made Paul Revere a solo hero of the overrated events which he did in the war. His actions were of a team member.

The biography of Paul Revere reveals that after the Revolution Paul runs a little shop which gets its trading stock overseas, mainly from England. In 1788 Revere opened a metal processing plant which was making tools to be used by the North End shipyards (Forbes 412). Paul Revere additionally manufactured weapons, guns and threw ringers. Paul Revere interestingly contributed materials to the Massachusetts Statehouse during its initial building. The best-known products by Paul were the “Revere Ware” pots and pans. Which shows that if his actions were so significant at that moment, she should have become a key role player in the American history platform? Instead, Paul Revere retires into his hometown and starts the business since he regarded what he was doing was what everybody who was on the patriot’s side could have done. To him that is normal.

In conclusion, when a war starts, the media has a way of sending propaganda.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem because people always want to identify with a hero during a conflict. Paul Reveres was not a hero initially; rather he is used as a symbol by the American people to describe what was happening to other heroes and their roles in the revolutionary war. Therefore, Paul Revere was a symbolic figure representing the revolutionary war.

Work Cited

Forbes, Esther. Paul Revere and the World He Lived in. Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print. available at https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0618001948

Goss, HenryElbridge. The Life of Colonel Paul Revere. Volume 2. J.G. Cupples, 1891. Print. Available at https://ia802700.us.archive.org/28/items/lifecolonelpaul01gossgoog/lifecolonelpaul01gossgoog.pdf

Lepore, Jill. “The Hyperlore of Paul Revere – The New Yorker.” New Yorker. N.p., 2011. Available at http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-hyperlore-of-paul-revere

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, and Charles Santore. Paul Revere’s Ride : The Landlord’s Tale. HarperCollins, 2003. Print. Available at http://poetry.eserver.org/paul-revere.html

Miller, Joel. The Revolutionary Paul Revere. Thomas Nelson Publishing, 2010. Print. Available at https://books.google.com/books?isbn=141856057X

Triber, Jayne E. A True Republican : The Life of Paul Revere. University of Massachusetts Press, 1998. Print. https://books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=1558492941

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