The Life and Times of Paul Revere
Paul Revere--The Midnight Rider is one of many documentaries from the Biography series produced by the A and E Network. This video is a succinct overview of the Boston silversmith, Freemason, political cartoonist, and engraver who is most famous for his midnight ride announcing the movement of British troops on the night of April 18-19, 1775. Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre of 1770 is also significant in that it stirred anti-British feeling in the colonies. The Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, and Revere's role in the American Revolution are additional topics presented in the video. Jayne Triber (biographer of Paul Revere), Patrick Leehey (research director at the Paul Revere House), and Alan Rogers (professor of history at Boston College) provide their perspectives and interpretations on the events and life of this heroic American. Portions of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem Paul Revere's Ride are read during the course of the narration. At about fifty minutes in length, this video can be shown in a class period and is ideal for secondary students. I use this video with my eighth grade American history students and have found it to be a useful and informative teaching tool.
