Picturing America: Paul Revere

Paul Revere's famous ride from Boston to Lexington has been commemorated in poems, stories, reenactments, and works of art for over two centuries. This Picturing America video explores two paintings of Revere, one by John Singleton Copley, from before Revere's ride, and one by Grant Wood, from over a century after.

Watch the video (5 minutes) from Picturing America.

Access the Picturing America lesson plans for Copley and Wood.

Classroom Connections

Comprehension Questions

• What is unusual about Copley's portrait?
• On what did Wood base his painting of Revere's ride?
• What humorous elements does Wood introduce and to what effect?

EDSITEment Resources

The following selection of lessons explores Paul Revere's ride and how it has been remembered over time.

• Lesson Plan: Not Only Paul Revere: Other Riders of the American Revolution (grades 6-8): Students have a chance to move beyond Paul Revere's celebrated ride and learn about other message-bearers in the American Revolution, as well as reflect on the unequal place of these other riders in historical and popular memory of the war.
• Lesson Plan: Why Do We Remember Paul Revere? Paul Revere's Ride in History and Literature (grades 6-8): Students engage with primary and secondary sources about Revere's ride to determine how accurate the famous Longfellow poem is.
• Lesson Plan: Midnight Ride of Paul Revere: Fact, Fiction, and Artistic License (grades 9-12): Students work with Wood's painting, Longfellow's poem, and a selection of primary and secondary sources to probe the relationship between history, memory, and art.