Paul Revere's Ride

“The Courtship of Miles Standish” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1858)

This popular poem, written at the time of “Paul Revere’s Ride,” is an example of Longfellow’s upcycling of the materials of American history, in this case the complicated romance between Puritans John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, as subjects fit for poetic treatment. The poem, much like Longfellow’s elevation of Paul Revere, created a version of history that, in turn, became part of American pop culture.

“Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1847)

Commissioned by the town of Concord for its commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, this poem, which contains the much-quoted line about the shot heard ’round the world, celebrates the minutemen who died in this first skirmish of the Revolutionary War. Like Longfellow, Emerson assures the reader that such courage will not be forgotten.

“Barbara Fritchie” by John Greenleaf Whittier (1863)

If Longfellow’s colonial narrative is seen as his call to preserve the Union against Southern secession, this poem, written by another of New England’s Fireside Poets, commemorates an event that drew on but was not limited by historical accuracy. The story of the Maryland nonagenarian who defies the invading Southern armies by refusing to pull in the Union flag she is flying became, like Longfellow’s poem, a rallying cry for the Union cause.