Paul Revere
"One if by land, two if by sea"- the supposed famous words spoken by Paul Revere to Colonel William Conant, an American soldier stationed in the steeple of the North Church in Boston, waiting to send the signal of the proposed path of the British invasion on April 18, 1775 to Paul Revere. According to the legend, Paul Revere was to be placed across the Boston Bay from the North Church waiting for the signal from Colonel Conant. The Colonel was to hang one lantern in the steeple of the church if the British showed signs of an invasion on land, or display two lanterns in the spire if evidence existed a sea invasion by the British. Once Paul Revere saw the two signal lanterns hanging in the steeple, signaling the imminent approach by sea of the British forces, he began his ride from Charlestown to Lexington to Concord, warning the citizens of these towns of an approaching British invasion. So began the famed "midnight ride of Paul Revere," a ride which warned the colonists of a forthcoming revolution that would shape the future of America.
During the early development stages of our country, there came a time when the overpowering mother country of Britain imposed a new system of taxation to control the colonies and the colonists. The Sugar Act of 1764 was the first step in bringing the new taxation system into affect. The Sugar Act, which replaced the Molasses Act of 1733, was designed to raise income without regulating the trading system that the colonies had established. Soon, Britain began to establish methods of taxes without any method of representation of the colonies and this angered the colonists. The power of Parliament to tax the colonies for the purpose of trade regulation had always been ac...
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...n, was in sight and dividing themselves into a battlefield formation as they came upon Lexington Green. What happened next is still debated. A shot was fired, and neither side would claim responsibility for this first act of war. But when it was over, two massive British volleys had been fired, answered by only one, weak volley of American musket fire and eight militiamen were dead and ten wounded, including Captain Parker. But this was only the start of the Revolutionary War. In the years to come, many Americans and British soldiers would die in their battle to stand up for a country and a future that they believed in. As for Paul Revere, his role in calling the patriots, the minutemen, the militia of the countryside together and up in arms will remain as imperative to the study of American history as any battle or shot that took place in the Revolution of America.
Parliamentary taxes on the colonial peoples started with the Navigation Acts in 1660, but they were not an issue to the colonial people because they were too difficult to enforce. Then in 1764 the Stamp Act was passed, this was the first direct tax on the colonists. The Navigations Acts and the Sugar Acts of 1764, which was a tax placed on imported molasses and sugar, had not directly affected colonists, it affected the merchants. The merchants in hand would just raise prices. The stamp act was completely different. It said that any document or printed item would need to have a stamp placed on it purchased from the British government. The Stamp Act upset the colonist...
In “Battles of Lexington and Concord”, the goals of the British were hindered due to American preparation. One of the goals of the British was “capturing pat...
On April 19th, 1775 British troops were marching to Lexington where many militia were already awaiting their arrival. The British were after the ammunition of the militia. Paul Revere had warned the militia ahead of time so that they could be prepared. They removed their stockpiles of ammunition from their hiding places and moved them to a new shelter. When the British arrived at Lexington, the militia were lined up, ready to defend themselves. The British stopped, prepared to face the militia. They remained silent yet stood their ground until a shot was fired.
Why do we only remember Paul Revere and not the other Midnight riders who helped warn the colonist that the British were coming?
In the summer of 1775, The Americans prepared to attack the British in Boston. But Washington was informed that they were shorthanded on gunpowder. The Americans had fewer than 10,000 pounds, roughly nine rounds per man. The situation was not expected to improve soon. During the night of March 4th, 1776 in Boston. Washington pulled the unthinkable and surprised the British by placing his army up the undefended Dorchester Heights. The British had ships anchored in the Boston Harbor, which were within range of American cannons. The British army woke up the next morning and was amazed to see how much hard work took place that night by the American army. Since the British army was surrounded they had no ot...
...e. On the other hand, the British had up to the Battle of Lexington had colonist’s rebellion as a simple nuisance. However, as the American colonists retaliated and killed British soldiers, the British knew they had to use a stronger hand to force the colonies into submission. Thus the point of no return had finally been reached and the American Revolution began.
The first time a Parliamentary imposed tax threatened the livelihood of the colonies was in 1733 with the Molasses Act, stemmed from the loss of profit for the British West Indies under the Navigation Act. However, this act was avoidable and rarely paid. Following the long and harrowing French and Indian War, Britain was deep in debt and George Grenville was appointed British Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was determined to pay off the debt by taxing the colonies. He not only reinforced the ignored Navigation Acts, but he placed the new Sugar Act which was similar to the Molasses Act which put a tax on rum and molasses imported from West Indies, but this Act would be enforced. Needless to say, the colonists were not used to this intrusion of Parliament and felt that it was wrong because there were no members in Parliament to represent the colonies. They felt it was a direct violation of their civil liberties and resentment was beginning to spawn. Next was the Currency Act which disregarded the colonies paper money, forcing the colonist to pay in only silver and sending their economy into chaos. A year later, Grenville imposed the Quartering Act which forced the colonists to house and accommodate the British military stationed in their area. It was a slap in the face to have to pay for those who stood for everything the colonists despised. Perhaps the most important and controversial acts were the Stamps Acts that placed a tax on legal documents, almanacs, newspaper, pamphlets, playing cards and dice.
However, corrupt practices kept merchants in the colonies from having to pay the taxes. The Sugar Act was a modification of the Sugar and Molasses Act of 1733, so The had placed tax on each gallon, so The colonies stop having to pay the taxes.The Sugar Act of 1764 disrupted trade between the American colonies and French markets and was one of the laws that hastened, and ended with, the American Revolution. The growing disconnect between the American colonies and other British holdings in tax compliance inspired greater enforcement by the
Paul Revere helped the colonists see the way, and showed them they should stay. They got the strength to get up and fight, and they fought the British day and night. He might have been a coward, but he told them not to be sour. They decided to do what he would say, then won their Independence Day. The colonists were free and the British could see, the colonists won the freedom crown, so the British began to frown. Paul Revere was braver than you’d think, with independence, he had a pretty big link. Paul Revere had some causes, effects, and a few roles in the Revolutionary War.
In 1764, the Sugar Act was enacted, putting a high duty on refined sugar. Even though silent, the Sugar Act tax was hidden in the cost of import duties making most colonists to accepted it. The Stamp Act, however, was a direct tax on the colonists and led to an uproar in America over an issue that was to be a major cause of the Revolution tool to oppose taxation without representation. To Americans, British government had no mandate to pas an act affecting colonists without their representation the litigation aimed at oppressing colonists. The duty not only targeted on sugar but its products. The implication it carried traversed along economic lines of civilians in raising the cost of living. The move made it difficult for firms as the cost of production went up with minimal sales as people abandoned Britain products.
The night of April 18th, 1775, was an important day of history for America. That night, Paul Revere, William Douse, and Samuel Prescott rode from Boston to Lexington. All three men had the responsibility of warning John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were coming. The cause of Paul Revere’s Midnight ride was that Paul Revere found out what the British were planning on doing and where the British are going to attack. How did Paul Revere find this out? Well, there was a light coming from the Boston Church signaling that the British were coming. The news was passed onto Joseph Warren where then Joseph passed the news to Paul Revere.
Captain Thomas Preston’s vision of the Boston massacre was an incident were a British soldier accidently fired his weapon and his men then followed after resulting in the death of five Bostonians including free black sailor Cripus Attucks. Starting the story Captain Thomas Preston admits that the arrival of the Majesty’s Troops were obnoxious to the inhabitants. Troops have done everything in their power to weaken the regiments by falsely propagating untruths about them. On Monday at 8 o’ clock two soldiers were beaten and townspeople then broke into two meetinghouses and rang the bells. But at 9 o’ clock some troops have informed Captain Thomas Preston that the bell was not ringing to give notice for a fire but to make the troops aware of the attack the towns people were going to bring upon them.
In the 1760s King George III enacted the Sugar Act and the Stamp act to gain extra revenue from his colonies. King George III decided to enact heavier taxes to put money back into the empire that had been lost after the French and Indian War. This act levied heavy taxes on sugar imported from the West Indies. The Stamp Act in 1765 required that many items have a stamp to prove that the owner had payed for the taxes on the item. The problem the colonists had with it was that it increased the presence of English troops in the Colonies and they felt it was unneeded and only meant to put more control into Great Britain's hands.
The day was April 18, 1775. Revere, in Boston at the time, had just been informed by Joseph Warren that General Thomas Gage had dispatched a group of Regulars to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock, in Lexington, and burn the military stores in Concord. (Fischer 95-97) Revere acted quickly and moved to the Christ Church, the tallest building in the North End at the time. He had been told to light a lantern visible from Charlestown to warn a group of Charlestown Whigs of the moving Redcoats. Here, three of Revere's friends and fellow Whigs came to his aid. The most prominent of the three was Robert Newman, a sexton in the church. The three managed to evade the Redcoat guards and were able to light the lantern and send the message. Revere, promptly, went back to his house to prepare for his journey. (Forbes 254-257)
Paul Revere Paul Revere was a man of many talents, a “Jack Of All Trades” if you will. Patriot, silversmith, engraver, and republican, he was destined to be a hero. Born to parents Apollos De Rivoire, a French Huguenot, and Deborah Hitchbourn, Paul Revere came into the world on January 1, 1735 in Boston, Massachusetts. Clark’s Wharf is where the Reveres reside now. The third born of eight children, Revere learned early the lesson of perseverance, a lesson that would be important in his later life, Revere would need to keep on going no matter what obstacles appeared in his way.