Subject Areas |
History and Social Studies
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U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation |
Literature and Language Arts
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Poetry |
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Time Required |
| Three 45-minute classes (depending on how much in-class time is spent on the writing assignment) |
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Skills |
| Interpreting primary documents
Using writing to interpret an historical event
Collaboration
Interpreting |
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Date Posted |
| 10/9/2003 |
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Why Do We Remember Revere? Paul Revere's Ride in History and Literature
IntroductionIn his account of his famous ride,
Paul Revere described the impetus for his journey: "…I was sent for by Dr. Joseph
Warren, of said Boston, on the evening of the 18th of April, about 10 o'clock;
when he desired me, 'to go to Lexington, and inform Mr. Samuel Adams, and the
Hon. John Hancock Esq.'" Though the lantern signal from Christ Church had been
Revere's idea, he never mentions seeing it, though he does go on to say, "I set
off, it was then about 11 o'clock, the moon shone bright." Anyone who learned
the story from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow heard it told a little differently.
Virtually all students, at one point or another in their schooling, are exposed
to Longfellow's ballad, "Paul Revere's Ride." How accurate is it? Is it responsible
for Revere's ride achieving such iconic status? Provide
the opportunity for your students to think about the answers to these and other
questions as they read primary and secondhand accounts of events during the American
Revolution. Extend the study of American Revolutionary history into literature
by discussing how Revere's ride has been dealt with in poems by Longfellow and
others. Note: Your students can learn
more about other rides during the American Revolution in the related EDSITEment
lesson plan Not
Only Paul Revere: Other Riders of the American Revolution Guiding
QuestionsWhat are the essential differences between
Longfellow's account of Paul Revere's ride and historical fact? Why does Revere's
ride occupy such a prominent place in the American consciousness? Learning
ObjectivesAfter completing the lessons in this unit,
students will be able to: - Recount the circumstances prior to,
during and after Paul Revere's ride
- List differences between Longfellow's
poem and the historical event
- State and critique some hypotheses that
might explain why we remember Paul Revere's ride as we do.
Preparing
to Teach this LessonSuggested
Activities 1 Ask
the students what they know about Paul Revere. Read with the class a brief biography
of Paul Revere, such as the one available on the website of the Paul
Revere House, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet Public Library,
skipping (for now) any sections specifically about the ride. Ask
students to identify any facts about Revere heard in the biography that they did
not previously know, and keep a class list of these new facts on the chalkboard
or elsewhere. Do the students believe Revere would have been remembered for other
achievements even if he had never been on that famous ride? If
desired, review with the class the political/military circumstances surrounding
Paul Revere's ride. The EDSITEment resource Learner.org
features a pertinent timeline
as part of its Biography
of America. To help students understand the political situation in 1775, access
additional information about events on the timeline by clicking on the "T" in
the right-hand column. Share with the class these two opposing accounts of events
surrounding the Battle of Lexington, written at the time the events occurred.
Both are from the EDSITEment-reviewed website American
Memory: Discuss
the similarities and differences between the accounts. Do they help answer the
question, "Who fired the 'shot heard 'round the world'?" Or, do they add to the
confusion? 2 Divide the class
into as many as eight groups (six, if you choose not to use the online presentation
below), assigning each of the following accounts to one or two groups: Encourage
students to make note of the details of their account's version of the ride. If
desired, you can use or adapt the PDF handout, Keeping
Track of Paul Revere. Then, work together as a class to construct the best
possible version of what really happened on the ride. 3
Read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem "Paul
Revere's Ride" aloud to the group without the students looking at the text;
the poem is available from the EDSITEment resource The
Academy of American Poets. After one reading, ask students what stands out
for them and what they recall about the poem. Then pass out copies of the text
and assign sections to volunteers to read aloud as the class follows along. Further
class discussion at this point should focus on literary elements and not historical
detail, as that will be covered later. After
the poem has been read aloud, and before the discussion to follow, give students
the opportunity to review the poem on their own. Ask them to make notations in
the text such as: - Circle memorable place names (North Church,
Lexington, Concord)
- Underline lines indicating the historical importance
Longfellow attributes to Revere's ride
- Underline twice lines indicating
the personal qualities with which Longfellow imbues Revere and the Patriots at
Lexington
- Make stars beside lines indicating Longfellow's attitude toward
the event.
Ask students to think about the following: - Longfellow
published his poem in 1861, when the country was in a state of turmoil-the start
of the Civil War. Do the students think he was trying to renew national unity?
- What
does the class think is the "word that shall echo forevermore!"?
- Pay special
attention to any details in the poem they recall from the other accounts of Revere's
ride
4 Download and distribute copies
of a Venn diagram
for students to use to note differences and similarities between the poet's account
and the class summary of the details of the actual event. If desired, when the
groups are done, use student input to build a composite diagram on the chalkboard.
Prepare the class for a discussion of why we remember Revere's ride the way we
do. Download a copy of the handout Why
Do We Remember Revere's Ride the Way We Do? Pass out copies to the class and
have students complete the questionnaire. Discuss students' ratings, as well as
any additional hypotheses offered by students, and attempt to come up with a unified
theory about the iconic status of the ride. Extending the Lesson- Introduce
students to additional poems by Longfellow, some of which have historical themes.
Appropriate examples may be found:
- Other poets have written about Revere's ride
and the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Have students read a few of these poems.
How did the poets treat the subjects? How accurate were their accounts? The EDSITEment
resource American Verse Project features the following:
- From "The Poems
of Sidney Lanier," a collection published in 1885, Psalm
of the West (page 128), starting with the lines:
“O'er
Cambridge set the yeomen's mark: Climb, patriot, through the April dark.”
- From
the 1903 collection "Ballads of Valor and Victory Being Stories in Song from the
Annals of America" by Clinton Scollard and Wallace Rice Scollard, The
Minute Men of Northboro'.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Standards Alignment
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