Welcome to Paul Revere Mall

Now that you've made it to the mall, you can look up at that impressive statue of the man, the myth, the legend, Paul Revere.

He's facing St. Stephen's Church across the road. But St. Stephen's wasn't around during his lifetime.

However, if you're facing Revere, you'll notice there's another church behind him.

That's the Old North Church. Old North is a big part of Revere's story and our next stop on the Freedom Trail.

Getting a picture of Revere's face with Old North in the background is always a great photo.

Well, there's plenty of seating around here, so make yourself comfortable as I tell the story of Paul Revere and his midnight ride.

Revere was quite the outspoken supporter of the Revolution.

He was often described as ambitious and brash, and he took his role as a messenger seriously.

You see, back in colonial days, communication took some time. When an urgent message had to get to someone quickly, a messenger on horseback was the most efficient choice.

If only Revere knew that one day we'd all just hop on our phones to connect via social media. Hashtag the British are coming!

Revere's Midnight Mission

On April 18, 1775, Revolutionary leader Dr. Joseph Warren received word that the British had discovered the Patriots' secret stash of weapons in the nearby village of Concord.

Dr. Warren learned that the British were now on their way to destroy those munitions.

So, he urgently sent Revere to alarm the Patriots in Concord. He also told Revere to stop in Lexington.

That's where John Hancock and Samuel Adams were staying.

You see, to the British, Adams and Hancock were the biggest rabble-rousers of the bunch. And according to Warren, the British had also set out to arrest them.

To deliver the message, Revere first paddled a boat across the Charles River to Charlestown, then galloped at full speed for about 20 miles to reach Lexington.

The Real Midnight Ride

History has immortalized him as shouting, The British are coming! in each village, he passed. But more likely, he said something like, The regulars are coming out! Since the British were already all around Boston, and had been for quite a while.

And Paul Revere most likely wasn't yelling as he galloped through the towns because that would have alerted British patrols.

Psst, the regulars are coming out! In any case, Revere successfully made it to Lexington in time to warn Hancock and Adams that the British wanted to arrest them.

However, he was intercepted by a British patrol on the way to Concord, and after some questioning, was sent back to Lexington.

Nevertheless, the people of Concord were successfully alerted.

And that's because Revere wasn't the only express rider sent out that night. Others were also out spreading the word.

In fact, outside of the Boston area, Revere was a pretty obscure figure.

The Legend of Revere

Until poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his poem, Paul Revere's Ride, in 1860, you've probably heard a line or two.

Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.

Longfellow was inspired to write the poem after visiting Old North Church at the other end of the mall behind Paul Revere's statue.

Now, maybe you can recall what was going on in the United States in 1860. The country was on the precipice of civil war, and the American experiment was in danger.

Longfellow wanted to speak peace and wisdom to the moment and hearken to a time of unified patriotism.

In Paul Revere, he found a character that represented the ideals of the revolution. A brave, morally upstanding patriot, risking his life to awaken his countrymen, and rising to defend their freedom.

The heart behind the words was so strong that in 1967, over a hundred years later, Martin Luther King Jr. referred to Revere in a speech.

In the speech, King said, We still need some Paul Revere of conscience To alert every hamlet and every village of America That revolution is still at hand. That's an interesting idea, isn't it? The American Revolution is still at hand.

Reflecting on Revolution Today

Here in the 21st century, we're still figuring out what it means to pursue liberty. So sitting here in the Paul Revere Mall, let's take a moment to reflect.

Think about the sights we've seen, the stories we've heard, and the characters we've gotten to know.

Then think about the United States of today, and how our American experiment continues.