Paul Revere's Ride - Classic Text | Alexandria
Paul Revere's Ride - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Paul Revere's Ride," a narrative poem published in 1861 by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, stands as one of the most enduring pieces of historical literature in American culture, though its relationship with historical fact has sparked centuries of scholarly debate. The poem, first appearing in The Atlantic Monthly and later in Longfellow's "Tales of a Wayside Inn" (1863), transformed a relatively obscure Revolutionary War episode into an immortal piece of American mythology.
The historical events that inspired the poem occurred on April 18-19, 1775, when Paul Revere and other riders warned colonists of British troop movements before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Longfellow's interpretation, written amid rising tensions before the Civil War, deliberately simplified and romanticized Revere's actions, creating a singular hero from what was actually a complex network of Revolutionary-era messengers and resistance fighters.
The poem's opening lines, "Listen, my children, and you shall hear / Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere," have become deeply embedded in American cultural consciousness, though historians note significant departures from historical fact. Longfellow took creative liberties, omitting fellow riders William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, and fabricating the lantern signal scenario in the Old North Church. These alterations served Longfellow's larger purpose: crafting a patriotic narrative that would unite Americans during a period of national division.
The work's legacy extends far beyond its historical inaccuracies, serving as a powerful example of how literature shapes collective memory and national identity. Modern scholars appreciate the poem both as a masterwork of American Romantic literature and as a case study in the creation of historical mythology. Its influence continues to resonate in contemporary discussions about patriotism, historical accuracy, and the role of art in shaping national narratives. The tensions between poetic license and historical truth in "Paul Revere's Ride" raise enduring questions about how societies choose to remember and memorialize their past.