Timeline Description: Paul Revere was a patriot in the American Revolution, and he is known for alerting the American militia to the approach of the British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord. He was memorialized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride."
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 1, 1735 | Paul Revere is born. Revere's father, a French immigrant, is a successful silversmith in Boston, Massachusetts. Paul is born the third of twelve children on January 1, 1735, though he eventually becomes the eldest surviving son. |
| 1748 | Revere becomes an apprentice silversmith. Paul leaves school at the age of thirteen - a common practice at the time - to apprentice as a silversmith under his father in 1748. |
| 1754 | Paul Revere's father dies. Revere's father dies in 1754, and Paul is forced to take on the family business, though he is still technically too young to become the official master of the shop. He makes surgical instruments, engraves copper plates, sells spectacles, and even replaces missing teeth. He gains a reputation for his well-made silverware and tea sets. |
| February 1756 | Paul Revere enlists in the provincial army. Revere enlists in the provincial army in February 1756, possibly to secure a steady income in the weak economy. He becomes a second lieutenant in the French and Indian War. He does not stay in the army long. |
| August 4, 1757 | Paul Revere marries Sarah Orne. After returning to Boston, Revere quickly marries Sarah Orne, with whom he eventually has eight children. |
| November 1, 1765 | The Stamp Act of 1765 is enacted. The Stamp Act of 1765 is enacted, in which the British Parliament place a direct tax on the British colonies to help fund the British troops stationed in North America. This causes a downturn in the already weak Massachusetts economy, and Revere's business suffers. He takes up dentistry to try to keep his business solvent. |
| August 1765 | The Sons of Liberty are founded. In August 1765, Revere becomes a founding member of the Sons of Liberty, a group of militant dissenters against the British. The group organizes protests and other actions to argue against British rule. |
| March 5, 1770 | The Boston Massacre occurs. On March 5, 1770, the British army fires on American protesters, killing five and wounding six others. Revere famously releases an engraving of the event that places the blame squarely on the British soldiers, though it is actually a collaboration with many other men. |
| October 10, 1773 | Paul Revere marries Rachel Walker. Sarah Orne dies, and, within the same year, Revere marries Rachel Walker, with whom he has an additional eight children. |
| December 16, 1773 | Revere is a leader in the Boston Tea Party. The English merchant ship Dartmouth arrives in Boston harbor, carrying tea under terms of the controversial British law, the Tea Act. In protest, Revere leads a group in destroying the tea by throwing it in the harbor on December 16, 1773. |
| December 1774 | Revere undertakes the Portsmouth Alarm. In December 1774, Revere rides to Portsmouth, New Hampshire on rumors of an impending landing of British troops, which turn out to be false. He does inspire a minor local rebellion against the local British fort. |
| April 7, 1775 | Revere warns the Patriot military of an upcoming raid. On April 7, 1775, Joseph Warren, a leading Boston Patriot, sends Revere to Concord to warn the Massachusetts Provincial Congress that the British may be moving their troops. This allows the Patriot military to move important supplies out of Concord and saves them from the imminent raid. |
| April 18, 1775 | Revere performs his "Midnight Ride." Joseph Warren receives intelligence that the British will be proceeding up the Charles River to Lexington, primarily to capture the Revolutionary leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock. He sends William Dawes and Paul Revere out to warn the leaders and the local militias. This allows the various towns to muster their militia, and once the British encounter the prepared soldiers, they choose to retreat instead of fight. Revere goes on to fight in the American militias during the American Revolution. |
| 1787 | Revere opens Bell Foundry. After leaving the army, Revere opens an iron and brass foundry in Boston in 1787. The foundry's success allows him to expand, and he builds the first successful American copper rolling mill. |
| May 10, 1818 | Revere dies. Revere dies on May 10, 1818, leaving behind a successful copper business to his family. He is buried in the Old Granary Burying Ground in Boston. |