Straight from the Source Close Readings for Elementary Social Studies

The Midnight Ride: Start of the American Revolution

Grade Level: 3

MA Standards: 3.5 Explain important political, economic, and military developments leading to the American Revolution. 3.10 Identify historic buildings, monuments, or sites in the area and explain their purpose and significance.

Common Core Standards: RI.3.1; RI.3.2; RI.3.4; RI.3.7; RI.3.9; W.3.1; W.3.2

Image Source: By Richard Wood from Tacoma, Washington, USA (Boston 2010-05-02-15) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Abstract:

Students read passages from Paul Revere’s own account of his famous midnight ride of April 19, 1775. Revere’s letter engages students with an exciting, up-close view of the events that triggered the American Revolution, while allowing them to consider the balance of individual and collective action in a movement for political change. In the accompanying activities students practice the important social studies skills of mapping and sequencing historical events and examine how Revere was portrayed in John Singleton Copley’s famous portrait. Writing prompts are provided for the Common Core text types, as well as an accompanying academic vocabulary list. Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

Rationale and Source Context:

In the decade from 1765 to 1775, tensions between the British government and its rebellious North American colonists reached a crisis point. They boiled over into war when the first shots of the American Revolution rang out in Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775 – commemorated in Massachusetts as Patriot’s Day. Paul Revere’s letter describing his midnight ride gives a first-hand view of that day, and of events leading to the Revolution’s first battle.

Who was Paul Revere and what was his role in the patriot movement? Born in Boston, 1734, he was an artist and master silversmith, an engraver and entrepreneur, a father and an active church member. Revere was also a political organizer and activist of capability, passion and talent. Revere believed that free-born American men like himself had the right to self-government, and he joined the colonial resistance in Massachusetts to preserve that right. Revere was not a top leader of the revolutionary movement. Those were men from the colony’s social and economic elite: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Joseph Warren most notably. (All three men are named in Revere’s letter and crucial to the events he describes.) Revere played a different role – an intermediary, trusted by those both above and below him on the social ladder, an active man who knew how to get things done. Historian David Hackett Fisher aptly describes him as “an organizer of collective effort in the American Revolution” who had “an uncanny genius for being at the center of events.” His “midnight ride,” described in the letter, exemplifies that role.

By the time Revere’s narration begins, the distrust and hostility between Britain’s colonial administrators and the rebellious colonists of Massachusetts had created a volatile situation. Boston by 1774 was a city under military occupation. Armed British soldiers (called “regulars”) patrolled the streets, loitered by shops and stables and on the wharves, and even lived in people’s homes by order of the British crown. Boston’s residents bitterly resented the soldiers and taunted them when an opportunity arose. This dangerous back and forth had already led to violence, with the Boston Massacre of 1770 – a tragedy turned to useful propaganda for the patriot cause by Paul Revere’s widely distributed engraving of the event.

Beyond the level of the street, political and military developments had also come to a crisis point in Massachusetts. The British crown had abolished the colony’s long-standing right to self- government. But colonial leaders governed illegally, in defiance of British orders. Massachusetts militia companies, formerly serving the British crown, transferred their loyalty to the rebellious provincial government. Patriot rebels collected and concealed stores of gunpowder and weapons.

Despite these troubles, General Thomas Gage, Britain’s military governor, still believed in early 1775 that the rebellion could be stamped out and armed conflict avoided. Disarming the militias was key. Gage employed a network of spies to inform him of every patriot move. These sources identified the rebel powder supply at Concord as a key target. Gage also planned to arrest Hancock and Adams, who were taking shelter in Lexington. But the patriots too had an active and capable network of spies. Alerted to the British plan in the days and hours before it launched, the rebels developed a counter-response: sending messengers to Concord and Lexington, they would warn the militias and get their leaders to safety. Here the central events of Revere’s account begin.

Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

Revere penned this account of the midnight ride long after the events, perhaps more than two decades later. He wrote at the request of Jeremy Belknap, a clergyman and historian, also born in Boston, who initiated a project after the Revolution to collect the records of the new nation’s birth. The tale of the midnight ride is an exciting one. But Revere wrote to Belknap in an unembellished and understated style. His corrections and cross-outs, still visible in the manuscript, show a conscientious author trying to get the facts straight. Revere described in sequence, almost hour by hour, the events preceding the Battle of Lexington and Concord as he knew them. Revere apparently sought no personal glory in writing his account: he signed it by name at first, but later crossed through his signature, asking Belknap to call him an anonymous “son of liberty.” (Belknap evidently ignored this request when he published the letter.)

Revere is often remembered as the courageous solo rider of the Revolution – due in part to the iconic poem of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. But Revere’s own account stresses collective as much as individual effort. It teems with people, named and unnamed, each given credit for individual contributions to the cause. Revere acknowledges, too, that his account is only one version of the story, limited to what he saw and heard on that eventful and chaotic night. Sensibly, he urged Belknap to ask others what they recalled of the same event – valuable advice for anyone who seeks to know the truth about the past.

Paul Revere’s letter shows that people of Massachusetts and Boston played a critical role in the making of the American Revolution. Use it in conjunction with supporting material to introduce 3rd graders to the Revolution and help them develop key social studies skills, including the mapping and sequencing of historical events.

Original Source: “Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798.” Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA. Collections Online. http://www.masshist.org/database/99

Text Complexity (Grade-Level Edited Text)*

Lexile ATOS Degrees of Flesch-Kincaid Reading Power 1020L 5.9 55 5.9

*The readability measures listed here refer to the adapted grade-level edited version of the text, not the original text. Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

Suggested Guidance for Teaching Close Reading of Text with Accompanying Materials

Pre- 1. Introduce students to the growing tension between Britain and its colony of Readin Massachusetts in the 1770s. Use a children’s non-fiction book or magazine about g the coming of the American Revolution (see recommendations under “Additional Resources), or this short entry on Revolutionary Boston from the website Liberty’s Kids: https://web.archive.org/web/20041025131807/http://www.libertyskids.com/arch_wh ere_boston.html (Students can follow the hyperlinks to learn more about events and people in Boston’s Revolutionary history. Student teams can become class “experts” on John Hancock, Samuel Adams, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and other related items.) 2. Project the image of Paul Revere’s original letter describing his midnight ride: http://www.masshist.org/database/99 (Double-click on the image to open in a separate window. Here you can use the scanning and enlarging features to help students focus on special details.) Have students make and share open-ended observations about the first and last pages (e.g. this document is written by hand; the paper looks old; some words are crossed out; it looks like a letter; the individual words or letters they recognize, etc.). Ask them to guess who wrote the document and where the author’s name might be found. After they identify Paul Revere’s name from the last page of the document, ask students what they know or have heard about him. Record their answers. 3. Explain that students will now read a printed version of the original Paul Revere letter they examined. Ask students to pre-read the text independently, one paragraph at a time. After each paragraph ask them to pause and summarize the main action that took place in that passage, individually or in small groups. Compare individual summaries and record a class summary of events. Post these in chronological sequence around the room. Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

1st Reading: 4. Focus on these questions for the first reading of the text: Key Ideas and a. In the beginning of this document, what reasons did Paul Revere Details give for recording his memories? (Paragraph 1) b. What details tell you that secrecy was important to the patriots of Boston? (Paragraph 3) c. What did Revere and the patriot’s committee observe the week of April 15th that made them suspicious about British plans? (Paragraph 5) d. Find at least two details in the letter that indicate there were serious tensions between the Boston patriots and the British troops. e. To make his errand a success, Paul Revere had to plan carefully ahead of time, but he also needed to think quickly on his feet when faced with unexpected circumstances. Find one example of each kind of problem-solving in the document (e.g., he planned ahead when he left a boat waiting in Charlestown; he planned spontaneously when he galloped in a different direction to escape the British patrol). f. What did Mr. John Hancock and Mr. Samuel Adams do as a result of hearing Paul Revere’s message? (Paragraph 13)

2nd Reading: 5. Focus on these questions for the second reading of the text: Craft and a. What tells you that this text was written as a letter? Why does he Structure use the phrase “your humble servant” in paragraph 15? (It was an expression used to express courtesy but also suggested he did not feel superior.) b. What parts of Revere’s story were most exciting to read? How did Revere make his story exciting or suspenseful? c. At the beginning of the letter, Revere told his correspondent Jeremy Belknap he had facts and stories to share. At the end of the letter, Revere asked Belknap to talk to other people who might remember the same events. Why do you think Revere made this request in the end? Why is it important to have more than one person’s account of an event?

3rd Reading: 6. Focus on these questions for the third reading of the text: Integration of a. Why do you think secrecy was important to Revere and the Knowledge patriot rebels? and Ideas b. Looking at what Dr. Warren asked Paul Revere to do, and what Revere did do, do you judge his ride to have been a success? c. Based on Paul Revere’s letter, which of these two statements do you think is the better description: A) Paul Revere worked mostly by himself to oppose British rule in Massachusetts or B) It took a lot of people working together, including Paul Revere, and a lot of careful organization to oppose British rule in Massachusetts. Point to specific evidence in the document that supports your choice.

Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

Post-Reading 7. To develop mapping and sequencing skills, have your students find and mark the route of Revere’s ride on a map. Return to the text and ask students to circle all the geographic locations that Paul Revere traveled on the night of April 18th-19th, 1775. If necessary, remind students what clues in a text indicate geographic location (capitalization of place names; prepositions for location; context). Next, on this Park Service map, circle and label the locations to which Paul Revere traveled: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Concord_Exped ition_and_Patriot_Messengers.jpg. When students draw a line connecting these locations in order they will have marked Revere’s route. Also, for reference, have students mark on the map the approximate location of their school or neighborhood to see that they live in the city where these events took place. As an extension, students can use a mapping site or Massachusetts road map to calculate the approximate length of Revere’s ride. 8. Plan a field trip for your class to learn more about Boston and the American Revolution! Many sites connected to Revere’s life and letter provide experiential learning opportunities for elementary students. Old South Meeting House (where the Tea Party was instigated by Revere and many others) http://www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org/learn/school-and-youth- groups and the Paul Revere House Museum http://www.paulreverehouse.org/teachers/programs.html make a particular effort to fund free visits for Boston Public School students. These and the Old North Church (site of the lantern signals), Old State House Museum (site of the Boston Massacre), and the Lexington and Concord National Historic Park highlight the contributions of Massachusetts leaders and citizens to the Revolutionary War. If you cannot do a trip, all their websites provide materials for classrooms. 9. Use a visual source to support the written text. a. Show students John Singleton Copley’s famous portrait of Revere, painted in 1768, just a few years before the actions described in Revere’s letter. You can view the Revere portrait on the website of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (where you can also see the painting on display): http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/paul-revere-32401 (For helpful teacher background on the Copley portrait of Revere, see the Picturing America Resource Guide for educators: http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/downloads/pdfs/Resource_Gui de_Chapters/PictAmer_Resource_Book_Chapter_2A.pdf) b. Explain what a portrait is (i.e., a special picture of a person; the person usually chooses an artist to paint it). Ask students to describe what they see and think about this portrait of Paul Revere (the type of clothing he wears, the objects in the painting, his facial expression and emotion, his gesture, etc.). Help them draw an inference: how did Paul Revere want viewers to see him? Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

Post-Reading c. Finally, have students compare the way Paul Revere signed his letter (“your humble servant”) with the way that he posed for his portrait (a proud working man, not an elite lord or king). How does this relate to the way many Americans had evolved by the mid-1700s to feel about the government they wanted America to have?

Writing 10. After students analyze the text, assign one of the following writing Prompts prompts: a. (Opinion) Do you think Paul Revere succeeded in delivering his message mostly because he had help from other patriots, or mostly because he relied on his own planning and problem- solving? State your opinion first and provide several reasons that led you to form this opinion. Use linking words and phrases like because, since, and for example to connect your beliefs to your reasons. Provide a concluding statement. b. (Informative/Explanatory) The night and morning of April 18th-19th 1775 was an eventful and important one in American history! If you had lived through it you would probably have wanted to tell someone about it. Imagine you are one of these participants: Dr. Warren; John Hancock; Samuel Adams; Reverend Clark; or one of the British officers in Charlestown. Write a letter to a friend or family member explaining in sequence your actions/experiences on that important day. Use facts and details from Paul Revere’s letter, and from a supplemental text if applicable. End with a conclusion summarizing why this day was one you will remember. (As an extension activity to develop Writing Standard 3.5, students can exchange letters with a classmate and edit for grade- appropriate writing conventions.)

Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

Key Vocabulary

Tier 2 acquainted (v.) familiar with with anecdotes (n.) stories circumstances (n.) facts committee (n.) organized group that has a goal lanterns (n.) lights messenger (n.) person who carries information patrolled (v.) guarded; watched route (n.) path; way set off (v.) left signal (n.) message or warning transporting (v.) carrying; moving

Tier 3 alarmed (v.) warned Boston (n.) open public land shared by the people of Boston Common in the 1700s; today it is a park leisure (n.) time mechanics (n.) working people Minutemen (n.) specially-trained colonial soldiers of Massachusetts and members of the militias; in the 1700s most were patriots ready to fight against Britain North Church (n.) tall point at the top of a church building; this Steeple church still stands in Boston’s North End officers (n.) the bosses of regular soldiers tavern (n.) a place for people to gather, eat, drink and exchange news in the 1700s your humble (n.) words to describe yourself, showing respect to servant someone else; often a way to sign a letter in the 1700s

Straight from the Source: Revere’s Midnight Ride

Additional Resources:

Appleseeds Magazine. Paul Revere. (2001). Burgan, Michael. Voices from Colonial America: Massachusetts, 1620-1776. (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2005). Cobblestone Magazine. The Battles of Lexington and Concord. (2002). Fischer, David Hackett. Paul Revere’s Ride. (Oxford, 1994). Fritz, Jean. And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? (Puffin, 1996). Kids Discover Magazine. American Revolution. (2000). Liberty’s Kids: https://web.archive.org/web/20040407131137/http://libertyskids.com/ Schanzer, Rosalyn. George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides. (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2007).

Grade-Level Edited Text

Paul Revere Recounts His Midnight Ride of April 19, 1775 (c. 1798)

Dear Sir,

1 Having a little leisure, I wish to fulfill my promise. I will give you some facts and anecdotes that led up to the Battle of Lexington. I do not remember seeing them in any history of the American Revolution.

2 In the fall of 1774 and winter of 1775 I was one of more than thirty men who formed ourselves into a committee. We were mostly mechanics. Our committee’s purpose was watching the movements of the British soldiers.

3 We held our meetings at the Green-Dragon Tavern. We were so careful to keep our meetings secret. Every time we met, every person swore on the Bible that they would not tell anyone about our activities.

4 In the late winter, we frequently took turns to watch the soldiers. Two by two, we patrolled the streets all night.

5 Saturday night April 15th we saw something. The British boats for transporting soldiers were all put in the water and moved about 12 o’clock at night. We also found out that the special skilled troops, called grenadiers, were taken off of their other jobs and gathered together. From these movements we expected something serious was going to happen.

6 On Tuesday evening the 18th we observed a number of soldiers marching towards the bottom of the Boston Common. About 10 o’clock, Dr. Warren Grade-Level Edited Text

sent for me to come quickly. He begged me to set off immediately for Lexington. Mister Hancock and Mister Adams were hiding there. Dr. Warren thought the soldiers were marching to capture those men. Dr. Warren asked me to warn Mister Hancock and Mister Adams. He had already sent a different messenger to them, Mr. William Dawes, by the land route.

7 A week before I had made an agreement with some gentlemen in Charlestown. If the British left Boston by water, we would show two lanterns in the North Church steeple; and if by land, one lantern as a signal.

8 When I left Dr. Warren’s house that night I called upon my friend. I asked him to make the signal.

9 I then went home, took my boots and overcoat, and went to the north part of the town. There I had left a boat. Two friends rowed me across the Charles River. They landed me on the Charlestown side.

10 When I got into Charlestown, I met several friends. They said they had seen our signals. I told them what was happening, and went to get me a horse. I set off upon a very good horse. It was then about 11 o’clock and very pleasant.

11 After I had passed Charlestown Neck, I saw two men on horseback under a tree. When I got near them I discovered they were British officers. One tried to get ahead of me, and the other to capture me. I turned my horse very quickly and galloped towards Charlestown Neck. Then I pushed for the Medford Road. The one who chased me, trying to cut me off, fell into a pond. I got clear of him, and went through Medford, over the bridge and up to Menotomy.

12 In Medford I awaked the captain of the Minutemen. After that I alarmed almost every house until I got to Lexington. Grade-Level Edited Text

13 I found Misters Hancock and Adams at Reverend Mr. Clark’s house in Lexington. I told them my errand. Misters Hancock and Adams decided to leave that house and go towards Woburn.

* * *

14 Thus, Sir, I have tried to give you some details only I know about. I have mentioned some names you are acquainted with: I wish you would ask them if they can remember the circumstances I describe.

15 I am, Sir, with every feeling of respect, your humble servant,

16 Paul Revere

Source: “Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798.” Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA. Collections Online. http://www.masshist.org/database/99. Original Text

Paul Revere Recounts His Midnight Ride of April 19, 1775 (c. 1798)

Dear Sir,

1 Having a little leisure, I wish to fullfill my promise, of giving you some facts, and Anecdotes, prior to the Battle of Lexington, which I do not remember to have seen in any history of the American Revolution.

2 …In the Fall of 1774 & Winter of 1775 I was one of upwards of thirty, cheifly mechanics, who formed our selves in to a Committee for the purpose of watching the Movements of the British Soldiers…

3 We held our meetings at the Green-Dragon Tavern. We were so carefull that our meetings should be kept Secret; that every time we met, every person swore upon the Bible, that they would not discover any of our transactions.

4 …In the Winter, towards the Spring, we frequently took Turns, two and two, to Watch the Soldiers, By patroling the Streets all night.

5 The Saturday Night preceding the 19th of April, about 12 oClock at Night, the Boats belonging to the Transports were all launched, & carried under the Sterns of the Men of War. (They had been previously hauld up & repaired). We likewise found that the Grenadiers and light Infantry were all taken off duty. From these movements, we expected something serious was [to] be transacted.

Original Text

6 On Tuesday evening, the 18th, it was observed, that a number of Soldiers were marching towards the bottom of the Common. About 10 o'Clock, Dr Warren Sent in great haste for me, and beged that I would imediately Set off for Lexington, where Messrs. Hancock & Adams were, and acquaint them of the Movement, and that it was thought they were the objets. When I got to Dr. Warren's house, I found he had sent an express by land to Lexington - a Mr. Wm. Daws.

7 The Sunday before, by desire of Dr. Warren, I had been to Lexington, to Mess. Hancock and Adams, who were at the Rev. Mr. Clark's. I returned at Night thro Charlestown; there I agreed with a Col. Conant, & some other Gentlemen, in Charleston, that if the British went out by Water, we would shew two Lanthorns in the North Church Steeple; & if by Land, one, as a Signal;…

8 I left Dr. Warrens, called upon a friend, and desired him to make the Signals.

9 I then went Home, took my Boots and Surtout, and went to the North part of the Town, where I had kept a Boat; two friends rowed me across Charles River, a little to the eastward where the Somerset Man of War lay. It was then young flood, the Ship was winding, & the moon was Rising. They landed me on Charlestown side.

10 When I got into Town, I met Col. Conant, & several others; they said they had seen our signals. I told them what was Acting, & went to git me a Horse; I got a Horse of Deacon Larkin. While the Horse was preparing, Richard Devens, Esq. who was one of the Committee of Safty, came to me, & told me, that he came down the Road from Lexington, after Sundown, that evening; that He met ten British Officers, all well mounted, & armed, going up the Road. I set off upon a very good Horse; it was then about 11 o'Clock, & very pleasant.

Original Text

11 After I had passed Charlestown Neck…I saw two men on Horse back, under a Tree. When I got near them, I discovered they were British officer. One tryed to git a head of Me, & the other to take me. I turned my Horse very quick, & Galloped towards Charlestown neck, and then pushed for the Medford Road. The one who chased me, endeavoring to Cut me off, got into a Clay pond, near where the new Tavern is now built. I got clear of him, and went thro Medford, over the Bridge, & up to Menotomy.

12 In Medford, I awaked the Captain of the Minute men; & after that, I alarmed almost every House, till I got to Lexington.

13 I found Mrs.Messrs. Hancock & Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark's; I told them my errand...[Revere inquired after William Dawes and went to find him. They set off for Concord, but Revere was nearly captured by a British unit and could not proceed. He returned to Reverend Clark’s home and related the experience to Hancock and Adams.] & they concluded to go from that House to wards Woburn….

14 …Thus, Sir, I have endeavoured to give you a Short detail of some matters, of which perhaps no person but my self have have documents, or knowledge. I have mentioned some names which you are aquainted with: I wish you would Ask them, if they can remember the Circumstances I alude to.

15 I am, Sir, with every Sentment of esteem, Your Humble Servant,

16 Paul Revere

Source: “Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798.” Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA. Collections Online. http://www/masshist.org/database/99