Paul Revere's midnight ride looms as an almost mythical event in American history-yet it has been largely ignored by scholars and left to patriotic writers and debunkers. Now one of the foremost American historians offers the first serious look at the events of the night of April 18, 1775-what led up to it, what really happened, and what followed-uncovering a truth far more remarkable than the myths of tradition. In Paul Revere's Ride, David Hackett Fischer fashions an exciting narrative that offers deep insight into ...
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Paul Revere's midnight ride looms as an almost mythical event in American history-yet it has been largely ignored by scholars and left to patriotic writers and debunkers. Now one of the foremost American historians offers the first serious look at the events of the night of April 18, 1775-what led up to it, what really happened, and what followed-uncovering a truth far more remarkable than the myths of tradition. In Paul Revere's Ride, David Hackett Fischer fashions an exciting narrative that offers deep insight into the outbreak of revolution and the emergence of the American republic. Beginning in the years before the eruption of war, Fischer illuminates the figure of Paul Revere, a man far more complex than the simple artisan and messenger of tradition. Revere ranged widely through the complex world of Boston's revolutionary movement-from organizing local mechanics to mingling with the likes of John Hancock and Samuel Adams. When the fateful night arrived, more than sixty men and women joined him on his task of alarm-an operation Revere himself helped to organize and set in motion. Fischer recreates Revere's capture that night, showing how it had an important impact on the events that followed. He had an uncanny gift for being at the centre of events, and the author follows him to Lexington Green-setting the stage for a fresh interpretation of the battle that began the war. Drawing on intensive new research, Fischer reveals a clash very different from both patriotic and iconoclastic myths. The local militia were elaborately organized and intelligently led, in a manner that had deep roots in New England. On the morning of April 19, they fought in fixed positions and close formation, twice breaking the British regulars. In the afternoon, the American officers switched tactics, forging a ring of fire around the retreating enemy which they maintained for several hours-an extraordinary feat of combat leadership. In the days that followed, Paul Revere led a new battle- for public opinion-which proved even more decisive than the fighting itself. When the alarm-riders of April 18 took to the streets, they did not cry, "the British are coming," for most of them still believed they were British. Within a day, many began to think differently. For George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine, the news of Lexington was their revolutionary Rubicon. Paul Revere's Ride returns Paul Revere to centre stage in these critical events, capturing both the drama and the underlying developments in a triumphant return to narrative history at its finest.
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Add this copy of Paul Revere's Ride to cart. $4.88, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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I learned a lot about American history that I didn't know before. Paul Revere was someone everyone knew, when they didn't know each other. He wasn't even that good of a silver smith. But he seemed to be in the right place at the right time as far as American history was concerned.
I wonder who is going to be the next Paul Revere in our next revolution.
SegoLilly
May 28, 2009
Real American History
Literate and well written. The author's obvious knowledge of Paul Revere was imparted in an easy to understand context. It was written like a mystery novel! I could not put this book down and looked forward to each chapter. The rationale behind common events, the "for want of a nail a kingdom was lost" plot. And it was all true. The real history was much more interesting than the myth. I wish other chapters of American history were so accessible. Kudos to Mr. Hackett. American History textbook writers should take a chapter from this book. Instead of tedious and dry facts presented like an outline, real personalities could be put forwad to connect the stories.
