Paul Revere (January 1, 1735 - May 10, 1818)

Paul Revere was a silversmith who tried to warn American patriots that the British were coming as the American Revolution began. Revere was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1735. Like his father, he was a silversmith, making tableware and other items out of silver and gold. During the French and Indian War he served as a soldier, fighting with the British against the French and the Indians. Soon after, Revere married Sarah Orne. Paul Revere joined the secret anti-British organization called the "Sons of Liberty." On December 16, 1773, Revere and others participated in the Boston Tea Party. The Tea Party was a protest against high British taxes imposed by the Stamp Act of 1765. The colonists dumped tea, a very valuable item at the time, into Boston Harbor. Revere became a messenger for the colonists in their fight against the British. On the night of April 18, 1775, Revere and William Dawes waited for a signal from the steeple of the Old North Church in Boston; one lantern meant that the British were coming by land, two lanterns meant that the British were coming by sea. Two lanterns were shining; this meant that the British were coming by sea. This was the beginning of the American Revolution. Their plan was to ride borrowed horses from Boston to Lexington, and on to Concord, Massachusetts, to warn the people that the British were coming. Revere was captured by the British near Lexington, and Samuel Prescott (who had joined them on the ride) made it to Concord, warning Samuel Adams and John Hancock to protect the military equipment stored at Concord. Revere became famous for the ride because the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow later wrote a poem called "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Revere commanded a garrison during the Revolutionary War, but did not have a major part in the war. After the war, finding the silver trade difficult in the ensuing depression, Revere opened a hardware and home goods store and later became interested in metal work beyond gold and silver. By 1788 he had opened an iron and brass foundry in Boston's North End. As a foundryman he recognized a burgeoning market for church bells in the religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening that followed the war. He became one of the best-known metal casters of that instrument. Despite advancing age, Revere remained active. He continued to discuss the issues of the day and in 1814 circulated a petition offering the government the services of Boston's artisans in protecting Boston during the War of 1812. Paul Revere died on May 10, 1818, at his home on Charter Street in Boston. He is buried in the Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street.