Let's fast-forward from the events of April 18th, 1775 almost 100 years, to 1860. Once again, this land was in turmoil, and it looked as though the Union, divided over the issue of slavery, could be ruptured by civil war. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow visits Old North. Longfellow was not only a celebrity poet, but also an abolitionist, and a man committed to the ideal the Union. He climbs up into Old North's bell tower, and he comes away from that visit inspired. He begins to write a new poem: "Paul Revere's Ride". Longfellow's poem takes quite a few liberties with the historic facts and what really happened on the night of April 18th, 1775. And it's not because Longfellow didn't know better—he was superbly educated, and he knew the true story. His choices were deliberate. Longfellow's poem presents us with an "every-man" hero—someone who could be any of us. The language sweeps us along and inspires us to feel that sense of urgency, to share that alarm that there is a threat to the nation. We, the readers, are the people in the countryside being called to do what we can to restore the Union. Longfellow's poem is his call to active citizens, and it is his act of citizenship that pen in fact can be a powerful tool, and a tale well-told can inspire change.
Please enjoy Rick Taylor's performance of "Paul Revere's Ride". This video was captured at Old North in March 2021, and is a rare treat for both eye and ear!
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