Changes

==Patriotism==

==Patriotism==

He was a committed patriot, a member of the Sons of Liberty in Boston; he was among the group of fifty who donned Indian dress and raided several British merchant ships in an act of protest of taxation without representation in the [[Boston Tea Party]] of 1773.  On April 16, 1775, aware of pending troop movements, he rode to Concord, Massachusetts to warn residents there and urge them to move their stockpile of arms.  Two nights later in April 18, he observed a pre-arranged signal of lanterns hung in the bell tower of the Old North Church and knew that British regulars had been ferried across the Charles River to Cambridge;<ref>http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ride/real.html</ref> they were on the move towards Concord and Lexington to seize the armory stores and arrest leading patriot leaders, among them [[John Hancock]] and [[Samuel Adams]].  After being rowed across the river himself, Revere borrowed a horse and set out on his famous "midnight ride" to sound the alarm; he succeed in warning Hancock and Adams, as well as verifying that the local Sons of Liberty in Lexington had seen the lantern signal from Boston. He was joined by a second rider, William Dawes, and together they rode towards Concord to warn the residents there; a third rider (Dr. Samuel Prescott) would join them as well.  But a British patrol in the area stopped and arrested them; Prescott escaped almost immediately, and would succeed in carrying the alarm to Concord.  Dawes would escape within hours, while Revere was released later, to make his way on foot to witness the "shot heard round the world" on Lexington Green, the opening battle of the [[American Revolution]].

He was a committed patriot, a member of the Sons of Liberty in Boston; he was among the group of fifty who donned Indian dress and raided several British merchant ships in an act of protest of taxation without representation in the [[Boston Tea Party]] of 1773.  On April 16, 1775, aware of pending troop movements, he rode to Concord, Massachusetts to warn residents there and urge them to move their stockpile of arms.  Two nights later in April 18, he observed a pre-arranged signal of lanterns hung in the bell tower of the Old North Church and knew that British regulars had been ferried across the Charles River to Cambridge.<ref>http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ride/real.html</ref>

 

The soldiers were on the move towards Concord and Lexington to seize the armory stores and arrest leading patriot leaders, among them [[John Hancock]] and [[Samuel Adams]].  After being rowed across the river himself, Revere borrowed a horse and set out on his famous "midnight ride" to sound the alarm.  He succeeded in reaching Lexington and the [[Hancock–Clarke House|home]] of [[Jonas Clarke]], where he warned Hancock and Adams of what was happening as well as verifying that the local Sons of Liberty in Lexington had seen the lantern signal from Boston.

 

He was joined by a second rider, William Dawes, and together they rode towards Concord to warn the residents there; a third rider (Dr. Samuel Prescott) would join them as well.  But a British patrol in the area stopped and arrested them; Prescott escaped almost immediately, and would succeed in carrying the alarm to Concord.  Dawes would escape within hours, while Revere was released later, to make his way on foot to witness the "shot heard round the world" on Lexington Green, the opening battle of the [[American Revolution]].

Apart from the construction and operation of a badly-needed powder mill, his own service in the revolution would be undistinguished. He was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts militia, charged with the defense of Castle William; he had also participated in the failed [[Penobscot expedition]] in June, 1779.  A court-marshal would effectively end his service, despite the charges being dismissed.

Apart from the construction and operation of a badly-needed powder mill, his own service in the revolution would be undistinguished. He was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts militia, charged with the defense of Castle William; he had also participated in the failed [[Penobscot expedition]] in June, 1779.  A court-marshal would effectively end his service, despite the charges being dismissed.