When Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride in 1775, he little dreamed that his place in history would be grossly distorted by this minor feat. It was among the least of his contributions to the American Revolution. As an enemy of tyranny, Revere organized a spy system against the British; led the patriots who defied England by dumping their tea into Boston Harbor; built factories to produce powder for the Colonial army in which he served with distinction.
Renowned as the most famous silversmith in America, as well as a designer, engraver and printer, Paul Revere was forced to leave school at thirteen, and worked long hours at the forge learning the trade of silversmith from his father. At nineteen, when his father died, Paul was the sole support of the large Revere family. He was an ambitious man and a superb craftsman who could have been gratified with his way of life.
However, this was a period of growing colonial discontent with the oppressive British rule. Men met in secret to discuss such treasonous ideas as freedom and justice for all, and soon Revere became one of the most dedicated propagandists for freedom. He joined the Sons of Liberty, was a courier for the Massachusetts Provincial Assembly and a member of the Committee of Correspondence.
During this time he also designed and engraved the first seal for the united colonies, and designed and printed the first Continental money. When the war was over, he returned to silversmithing and became involved in other enterprises, among them a process for rolling sheet copper which he applied to cooking ware, popularly known today as Revere Ware.
This is the inspiring story of a man who proved that an ordinary person can, in a time of crisis, become bigger than life and display courage and fortitude he scarcely knew he had.
—from the book
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