Paul Revere's Ride Lesson Plan

To be named the most famous poem in the English language is no small feat—but Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem "Paul Revere's Ride" arguably deserves it. First printed in the pages of The Atlantic Monthly on the eve of the Civil War, Longfellow's poem has been loved by many generations of Americans since. Although its romantic flair and sentimental rhymes have not been enjoyed so much by modern critics, who have tended to disregard Longfellow's work as a poet, the poem did much to establish Longfellow's reputation as an important and original American voice. It is also frequently credited with establishing the legendary reputation of Paul Revere, who had previously been a...