A True Republican: The Life of Paul Revere

by Jayne E. Triber

Explores Paul Revere's larger role in the American Revolution, his political thought, and his transformation from artisan to entrepreneur in the early Republic

Genres: History

314 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Braxton Schieler]

Intriguing and interesting if you're interested in Revolutionary War America. I had no idea Revere was this significant.

[Jacqui N]

An honest, straightforward portrait of Paul Revere. The last line of the book is part of a quote by a fellow contemporary in assessing his life: "Mr. Revere was through life an upright, useful, respectable citizen." The author spends most of this biography attempting to prove just that. The Masons, and Paul Revere's membership and role in that group and St. Andrew's Lodge are a dominant theme throughout. His role in various patriot activities, including the Boston Tea Party, are covered with particular emphasis on the stature of Revere being above "the mob" and rabble rousers, yet not quite at the level of the wealthy, educated elite. This theme is repeated. Revere late in life attains dignity and wealth from his successful copper foundary and benevolence in the community, although never quite reaches his ultimate social goal. Revere's unsuccessful attempt at a military career is described honestly, as was his biased role as a juror in the Selfridge trial. We are given the good and the bad, and the author leaves the reader to come to his or her conclusion about this spirited, ambitious patriot. A well researched life of a less known Revolutionary War figure, whose midnight ride became famous when it was dramatized and romanticized by Longfellow in a poem written many years after Revere's death.

[Jimmy]

I stopped reading because Triber kept claiming that Revere was preoccupied with his social class, indeed representing that as a guiding theme in Revere's life, but without submitting any evidence other than that people in Boston at the time cared about class status. If this were one relatively poorly supported claim among other interesting and better supported claims, I would have kept reading.