The Revolutionary Paul Revere

“Gallops along with all the drama and intrigue of a great novel.”
–William J. Bennett, author of America: The Last Best Hope

He’s famous for the ride, but he’s essential for so much more. The story of Paul Revere is the story of the American Revolution. Always smack dab in the thick of things, Revere was an ordinary citizen living in extraordinarily turbulent times. He played key roles in colonial tax fights and riots, the aftermath of the infamous Boston Massacre, the Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and even the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

This fast-paced, dramatic account explores Revere’s revolutionary contribution as a spy, family man, entrepreneur, express rider, freemason, churchman, and commercial visionary.

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Endorsements

“The story of Paul Revere–a hero of Massachusetts, a hero of America–was never more timely. Nor has it ever been better told than by Joel J. Miller. The Revolutionary Paul Revere gallops along with all the drama and intrigue of a great novel, highlighting what makes Revere so essential in the story of America’s founding and its growth as a force fro freedom in the world. This is a vibrant, vital, and wonderful story.”
William J. Bennett, author, America: The Last Best Hope

“Paul Revere did so much more for the country than ride a horse. The Revolutionary Paul Revere looks at the man behind the ride and how Paul Revere was a bigger figure in the American revolutionary than his warning of war. From the protests before the war to ratifying the constitution to his other wartime endeavors, The Revolutionary Paul Revere is a choice pick for anyone who wants to know the true story of Paul Revere.”
Midwest Book Review

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Bonus Resources

Visit the Paul Revere House. You can go online or in person. Also, the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Read the first biography of Paul Revere, published in 1891, Elbridge Henry Goss’s The Life of Colonel Paul Revere Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
Another early Revere biography, The True Story of Paul Revere by Charles Ferris Gettemy can be found here. Later books about Revere’s life include those by Esther Forbes, Jayne E. Triber, and David Hackett Fischer. All of these titles were essential in my research.
The Paul Revere Memorial Association has a full account of Paul Revere’s ride with several features that are especially helpful for young readers. So does the Massachusetts Historical Society. Here’s a link to Revere’s own version from his letter to Rev. Jeremy Belknap, the first secretary of MHS.
MHS also has a great feature on the Sons of Liberty, including a reproduction of a list of attendees at an important gathering of the Sons. Paul was in attendance.
William Dawes also rode with Paul on the night of April 18, 1775, and unless he should get short shrift, here’s an account of his ride by Henry Ware Holland.
Revere’s life is full of public service. One example is when he served on the jury for the most celebrated murder trial of the day, that of Thomas O. Selfridge. You can find the court account here.
One of Paul’s contemporaries was the fiery James Otis. Here’s William Tudor’s biography of the great orator and activist.
Apart from his role as irritant to Boston’s patriots, Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson was a historian of his native province and wrote several volumes of Massachusetts history. I utilized one in my writing, the volume covering 1749 to 1774. It makes for a interesting voice against the patriots’ version of events.
Smuggling was central to the animosities which sparked the Revolution, and the writs of assistance were central to the Crown’s attempt at stopping smuggling. One of the best accounts of the struggle over the writs can be found in Appendix 1 of Josiah Quincy’s lengthy Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in The Superior Court of Judicature of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, between 1761 and 1772. Quincy’s treatment is over a hundred pages, but it is thorough and revealing.
The clergy in Boston were very instrumental in the lead up to the Revolution. Here’s Alden Bradford’s biography of Rev. Jonathan Mayhew, one of Paul’s friends and an early agitator against Britain’s unjust rule. There are several books that deal with the patriot preachers. Here are volumes by John Wingate Thornton, Joel Tyler Headley, and Frank Moore.
One of Revere’s sons became a celebrated physician. Here’s a short bio about Dr. John Revere, written shortly after his death.
Revere’s grandson, Joseph Warren Revere, served in the military and wrote two memoirs of his service. One, Keel and Saddle, covers forty years of his service on land and sea. The other covers his time in California and features some detail of the discovery of gold there.

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