Historical impact Paul Revere's Ride

paul revere (1940) cyrus edwin dallin, north end, boston, massachusetts. old north church visible in background.

longfellow s poem credited creating national legend of paul revere, little-known massachusetts silversmith. upon revere s death in 1818, example, obituary did not mention midnight ride instead focused on business sense , many friends. fame longfellow brought revere, however, did not materialize until after civil war amidst colonial revival movement of 1870s. in 1875, example, old north church mentioned in poem began annual custom called lantern ceremony recreating action of poem. 3 years later, church added plaque noting site of signal lanterns of paul revere . revere s elevated historical importance led unsubstantiated rumors made set of false teeth george washington. revere s legendary status continued decades and, in part due longfellow s poem, authentic silverware made revere commanded high prices. wall street tycoon j. p. morgan, example, offered $100,000 punch bowl revere made.

in 1883, boston held national competition equestrian statue of revere. won cyrus edwin dallin, although model not accepted until 1899, , statue not dedicated until 1940. stands in paul revere plaza, opposite old north church.

in 1896 helen f. moore, dismayed william dawes had been forgotten, penned parody of longfellow s poem:

tis children hear
of midnight ride of paul revere;
but why should name quite forgot,
who rode boldly , well, god wot?
why should ask? reason clear—
my name dawes , revere.

for long time, historians of american revolution textbook writers relied entirely on longfellow s poem historical evidence – creating substantial misconceptions in minds of american people. in re-examining episode, historians in 20th century have attempted demythologize paul revere point of marginalization. while true revere not rider night, not refute fact revere completed first phase of mission warn adams , hancock. other historians have since stressed revere s importance, including david hackett fischer in book paul revere s ride (1995), scholarly study of revere s role in opening of revolution.

in 2007, united states postal service (usps) issued commemorative stamp images referencing poem. longfellow represented painting artist kazuhiko sano.