Reades's Theater - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Paul Revere's Ride - a play adaptation

Oct 13, 2026

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Reade's Theater presents a play adaptation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride,” placing the poem within its 19th-century context. The work explains how Longfellow wrote the piece in the early 1860s, why the poem served as a “call to arms,” and how historians challenged its factual accuracy. It recounts the April 18, 1775 timeline of Paul Revere’s ride, the British plan, the signal of lanterns, his capture and release, and the impact of the warning on the Revolutionary War.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

The Story of “Paul Revere's Ride”

The History of Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride (Excerpt from the Classic)

The Author of the Classic

Reades's Theater # Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Paul Revere's Ride a play adaptation by Staci Swedeen Reader's Theater Classics are play adaptationsof famous short stories,poems,speeches,andnovel excerpts. ## Reader's Theaterai” Benchmark Education Company·629 Fifth Avenue·Pelham,NY 10803 Editor:Jeffrey Fuerst Creative Director:Jonette Jakobson Director of Photography:Doug Schneider Designer:Lauren Bax Photo credits:Cover:PoodlesRock/CORBIS;Page 3,6:Library of Congress;Page 10:Bettmann/CORBIS;Page 15:The Granger Collection,New York Copyright ◎2007 Benchmark Education Company,LLC.All rights reserved.No part of this publication may bereproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopy,recording,orany information storage or retrieval system,without permission in writing from the publisher.Printed in China. ISBN:978-1-4108-7951-6 For ordering information,call Toll-Free 1877.236.2465 orvisit our Web site at www.benchmarkeducation.com. 2017 ## Henry Wadsworth Longfellow'sPaul Revere's Ride a play adaptation potlight on the Classic ## The Story of“Paul Revere's Ride” I n the mid-1800s,Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was America'smost famous poet.He wrote “Paul Revere's Ride”in the early1860s,eighty-five years after the actual event occurred,whenAmerican history had reached another critical juncture.Civilunrest threatened to tear the country apart.Longfellow wanteda“call to arms”that would echo back to the unifying aims ofthe Revolution. Longfellow’s popular poem also created the enduring myththat Paul Revere was a lone rider who finished his journey onhorseback.Neither statement is true and,ever since it waspublished,historians have complained about the inaccuraciesin the poem.But Longfellow was not interested in history;hewanted to move people to action.His goal was to convince thepublic that fighting slavery and protecting the Union was theright thing to do.He wanted to show Americans in the 1860sthat the actions of a single man can have a huge impact on theoutcome of events. On April 18,1775,Paul Revere left Charlestown at 11 P.M.He rodethrough Medford and other towns,arriving in Lexington at midnight.British soldiers stopped him at 1A.M.,and he never made it to Concord. ## The History of Paul Revere's Ride On the evening of April 18,1775,General Gage,the Britishcommander,ordered 700 troops to cross the Charles River andhead from their base in Boston toward Concord,Massachusetts.Their goal was to destroy the colonial arms supply and arrestPatriot leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock.Gage wanted hisplan to be kept secret. Paul Revere had a different goal.He wanted to warn Adamsand Hancock about Gage's plan and spread the alarm.Afterverifying that two lanterns had been hung in the bell towerof the Old North Church in Boston(this was to signal thatBritish troops would row“by sea”across the Charles Riverrather than marching“by land”),Revere reached the housewhere Adams and Hancock were staying,allowing them toflee in time.Two other riders joined Revere as he continuedhis journey through the Middlesex area of Massachusetts. A British patrol captured all three riders.Thoughtwo escaped,Revere was held captivefor a few hours.Eventually,theBritish released Revere but kepthis horse.Revere returned toLexington on foot,arrivingin time to witness part ofthe battle on the Lexingtongreen that started theRevolutionary War.British soldierswere called Regulars. Excerpt from the Classic ## Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Listen my children and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April,in Seventy-five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend,"If the British marchBy land or sea from the town to-night,Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch、 Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—One if by land,and two if by sea;And I on the opposite shore will be,R

FAQs

Why did Longfellow write “Paul Revere’s Ride” in the 1860s?

Longfellow wanted a “call to arms” that would echo the Revolution’s unifying aims and help move people to action during a critical moment in American history.

What historians criticized about the poem?

Historians have complained about inaccuracies in the poem, including the enduring myth that Paul Revere was a lone rider who finished his journey on horseback.

What was the purpose of the two lantern signal from the Old North Church?

The two lanterns were used as a signal to indicate whether British troops would go “by sea” or “by land” across the Charles River, guiding how the warning would be spread.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Fahsai