immigration 1964

Immigration in 1964

By Miriam

London, England 1964

Ellis Island 1964

Starting over, it’s hard to do. Weather its moving to a new school, a new state, or in my father's case a new country. In 1964 my father, his mother, father, older sister, and older brother, moved to Portland, Oregon from London, England. His family wasn’t the only family that moved away from everything they knew to America, the country with new opportunities and less judgment during the time.

It’s not easy to leave everything you’ve grown to know and love. My father was only two at the time, but my aunt was eight, and my uncle was almost twelve. When they first moved to the U.S. they lived in a two bedroom one bathroom house, in Lake Oswego, Oregon. My aunt attended Collins View Elementary, and my uncle attended Collins View Junior High, (Collins View is now called Riverdale.) My grandfather got a researching job at the University of Oregon Medical School, and my grandmother continued her work as an artist, but mostly stayed home with my dad.
It wasn’t necessarily the moving that was the hard part, but adapting to the american culture. My aunt says “For me the worst part was my accent. They used to make me say funny things and wouldn't take me seriously, almost as if I was a toy.” My grandfather tells me “What was hardest for me was the new words. I had trouble understanding people at work, and when I asked if someone had gotten into some barney, they would just stare. (Barney is english slang for trouble.)” The funny thing is, even though my grandparents were only 34 when they moved here, they are now 80, and still carry their british accents withem wherever they go.
So you might ask yourself, if moving to America was so hard, why come? My father's family came to the US for the same reason almost every family moves to the US, Financial reasons. My grandfather was having troubles holding a job. It wasn’t that he wasn’t qualified for his jobs, or that he wasn’t good at them. The problem was it was only 19 years after World War II, and it was still hard to get a job as a jew. My grandfather had tried everything, he even changed his last name, but even that didn’t cut it. Lucky, being a jew in america did not affect his work life, or his place on the social status, for the most part.
1964 was a big year for immigration to the U.S. The Cuban Missile Crisis had just ended, they had a new President, and M.L.K was still alive and promoting African American rights. People of different races were starting to come to the U.S. Forgineers thought of the U.S. as a safe place again and, it all affected all those families who left everything behind and came to the U.S.A.

Sources:

• http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade60.html
• http://www.history.com/topics/1960s
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s
• https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=immigration+1965&revid=291992740&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1680&bih=873&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=J5cmUZm2JcvwiQLQr4CgBw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&spell=1&q=immigration&sa=X&ei=ypcmUYK1GdDmiwK-wIDoCQ&ved=0CE4QvwUoAA&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42768644,d.cGE&fp=20efa0ca7869284f&biw=1680&bih=873
• https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=immigration+1965&revid=291992740&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1680&bih=873&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=J5cmUZm2JcvwiQLQr4CgBw#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=london+1964&oq=london+1964&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i24.516998.525499.5.525994.20.13.4.3.3.0.58.537.13.13.0...0.0...1c.1.4.img.m0hT6iyvPGo&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42768644,d.cGE&fp=20efa0ca7869284f&biw=1622&bih=873
• My Father
• My Grandfather
• My Aunt
• My Uncle
• My Grandmother

The Assassination Speech ZT

          
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most courageous, inspiring, and determined people who fought for equal rights. His work was amazing, but other people helped him on his journey for black freedom. For example, Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, and Harriet Tubman. These people influenced his truly moving speech the day before he was shot at 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968. Therefore these wonderful black men and women should have some recognition, as they helped Martin Luther King Jr.
             The “Assassination Speech”, is a very important piece of history, but he was not the only mastermind behind the speech and the movement. Sojourner Truth was in fact, the first black woman to win a case against a white man. Also, she delivered her most famous speech, Ain’t I a Woman, in 1851, at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. A couple of lines from her speech, “I want to say a few words about this matter. I am a women's rights. I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that?”Martin Luther learned about her in school, and that is how he found out about her and used her ideas.

      Nat Turner was another inspiration for Martin. Nat lead an african american slave rebellion in Virginia on August 21, 1831. Although he was sent to death trial and was hung, Virginia and other states changed a black right. The change, the white owners now had to be present at black worship services. Again, Martin Luther learned about him in school, and might have used his idea of a rebellion, but instead, a strike.
              Last, but not least, Harriet Tubman. She helped many slaves cross into free lands, and she was a spy for the Union. Also, she went into women’s suffrage, the fight for women’s right to vote. She ties into Martin Luther because of her courageous decisions to fight for equal rights, and freedom for all. Martin Luther spoke powerful words, his last speech for example, but none would be possible without his knowledge of the great people before him.
              Martin Luther King Jr., has always held a special place in my heart because of his actions for equal rights. I believe that we do share a similarity, the fire to fight for what's right. All people have it, some just have to dig deeper than others.

His last speech, given at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee:

The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers are on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them... They didn't get around to that. Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be -- and force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: We know how it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.
Regarding the Civil Rights struggle, King said:
All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper." If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for rights. And so just as I said, we aren't going to let dogs or water hoses turn us around. We aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.
Regarding economic boycotts, he said:
Now, we are poor people. Individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively...the American Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it. We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles. We don't need any Molotov cocktails. We just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you.[1]
Toward the end of the speech, King refers to threats against his life and uses language that seems to foreshadow his impending death:
And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? ... Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't really matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live - a long life; longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Sources: http://history1900s.about.com/cs/martinlutherking/a/mlkassass.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_Been_to_the_Mountaintop
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Turner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nat_Turner.jpg
http://www.alcazaraudioworks.com/details/cd/sojourner.html
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&biw=1441&bih=656&tbm=isch&tbnid=vq-mcO0XFTfh_M:&imgrefurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/09/14/GA2010091405721.html&docid=YeolaIhtmHlVlM&imgurl=http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/100914/GAL-10Sep14-5730/media/PHO-10Sep14-251897.jpg&w=913&h=1024&ei=VL74UPzHJO_DiwKYw4DYAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=2&vpy=242&dur=73&hovh=238&hovw=212&tx=95&ty=120&sig=105400541573080848422&page=1&tbnh=127&tbnw=130&start=0&ndsp=31&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:108

Fort Sumter (Isaac)

On April 12, 1861 on a little island off Charleston, South Carolina a battle broke out. On this island was the American Fort Sumter. On this island the start had the civil war begun. A few month before the battle Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army leave Charleston. So on December 26, 1860 U.S. Major Robert Anderson moved his troops Fort Sumter. However because he was surrounded by the Confederate Army so, he began to run out of supplies. The Confederation knew this and they were hoping that Major Anderson leave. Major Robert Anderson was hoping that a supply ship could get through to the fort.
On April 12, 1861 General Beauregard sent Major Anderson a message saying that he would fire in one hour if Anderson didn't surrender. Anderson did not surrender and the battle had began. The Confederate shot at Fort Sumter from all sides. After many hours of bombardment, Anderson realized that he had no chance to win the battle. He was almost out of food and ammo and his forces were outnumbered. He surrendered the fort to the Confederate Army.
Even though no one died in the battle, accept two nimrods who killed themselves in the a surrender ceremonies, the civil war had begun. Now actions were made in the preparation for war such as choosing side and beliefs.

Now that the first shots were fired, the war had begun. Many states that had not picked a side, now choose the North or the South. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas joined the Confederation. West Virginia broke away from Virginia to become their own state so they could stay with the Union. At the time he still thought the war would be short and fairly small. It turned out to last for more than 4 years and over 2 million men would fight as part of the Union Army.

The impact on our lives from the civil war. Army’s before the war largely depended on slavery. Slaves were used for agriculture and were traded in the South for high prices. Now Black people have just have must rights has white people. In this war the ends did justify the means.

 Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Sumter
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fort-sumter.html

HARRIET TUBMAN

    HARRIET TUBMAN AND HER ROAD TO FREEDOM

Harriet Tubman did so many things to change the world, but her escape to freedom alone was incredible.

During Harriets childhood, she had 9 brothers and sisters, three of which, were sold to other slave owners. Through Harriet's childhood she had to work very hard. She had to look after babies while they were sleeping, and if they awoke, she was whipped. She also had to work in the fields. She had been a fighter all of her life and she rebelled against her masters constantly.

Harriet wanted to escape to freedom and she respected the other slaves that did as well. One day when she was working in the field, a slave was trying to escape. The guard asked her to help him pin the slave down, but she refused. The slave ran away and the man threw a 3 pound weight that Harriet said "broke her skull." After that day Harriet started having seizures and randomly went unconscious.

One night, Harriet and her two brothers, Ben and Moses, snuck out and ran into the woods. After running for a little while Ben had them stop. He told them that he was about to become a father, so the two brothers made Harriet go back to the house with them.

 Later, Harriet snuck off without her brothers, except this time there was no turning back. She had a reward of her capture of $100. She traveled along the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. The Underground Railroad is a series of safe houses along the road to Pennsylvania. Harriet had to travel 90 miles on foot that took her between 5 days and 3 weeks. When she had to stay at a safe house for more than one night she pretended to work there as not to be caught.

When Harriet got to Pennsylvania she said it was like walking into heaven. She was finally free. After that, Harriet lived a good life of freedom. She still had her head traumas from her childhood though.

When Harriet was free, she went back to Maryland and helped other slaves to freedom. she made a giant footprint in the ending of slavery. After she was invited to be a special guest at churches, and statues, and buildings were made in honor of her.



Harriet Tubman was then known across the nation as a hero. A while later in 1912 Harriet was so old that she had to move into the very old folks home that was a commemoration to her. In 1913 the great Harriet Tubman died of pneumonia. Her last words to the people standing around her were "I go to prepare a place for you."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                       

Food in the Industrial Revolutions

Food: The differences between the industrial days and now

By: Lyssa Stevens

People in the industrial times needed a lot of long time carbohydrates, and lots protein to keep them functioning from dawn to night. Factory workers generally tended to eat gruel, bread, solidified porridge, mutton, seasonal fruits (apples and berries), and beer (even for the kids). These foods were loaded with the right kind of nutrients, and were relatively cheap to get for yourself and family. Foods that were uncommon back then for workers were tropical fruits, milk and dairy, and good meat. Tropical fruits were hard to find because they would have to be imported, raising the cost above what they could pay. Milk and dairy was less plentiful because all of the farmers were working in the factories, and it was hard to keep even if you somehow acquired it. Although loss of milk and dairy products can leave you with a disease called rickets. A disease that softens and weakens your bones. Nice meat was hard to keep and find if you were poor, often the best cuts went for a high price and generally sold to the richer upper class.
Nowadays, workers of low pay, and the poor in general, tend to eat cheap junk food. More of the poor rely less carbohydrates and protein and now on sugar, fat, and salt. People are more likely to go out to eat at a fast food restaurant. There are also a lot of cheap food like hot dogs, frozen burritos, ramen, and you can even get frozen personal pizzas for 99 cents. I went to New seasons and I looked around at all the food, I chose what I wanted for dinner, a pasta dish with a simple sauce of bacon, peas and onions. This cost me about 10 dollars for 8 servings. If the poor really wanted to, and had the right habits for healthy eating, then it would not be that hard to eat healthy for a relatively cheap cost.
Here is a recipe for a simple gruel, and old fashioned bread.
Gruel:
Potato Gruel

To feed 4:

4 small potatoes
8 pints of water
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp flour

Method:

Cut the potatoes into large thumb size dices.

Boil on medium heat for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water.

Add ½ teaspoon salt, pinch of white pepper.

Turn heat down to low.

While stirring, add 2 tablespoons of flour in a little at a time.

Keep stirring softly until all the flour is all dissolved and it makes thick sauce.

By now the potatoes will just be starting to loose their square shape and start to look more rounded, but still firm in the middle. The dish will turn out to be half sauce and half potatoes.

Bread:
4 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups water
3/4 tsp yeast

Not a lot to it. Bread making is 10% recipe and 90% technique. Sugar, oil, eggs and milk can cause breads to get stale faster, an old style country bread is the kind one might find in a paper bag or basket on the kitchen counter.

Lets get started on our technique. You will need to mix together the salt and the flour in a large mixing bowl. Then make a well in the middle of this mixture and put the yeast in it. Next you will need 2 cups of 75 degree water. This doesn't sound like it will be warm enough since you are used to 110-115 degrees for regular bread. This is just warm enough to activate the yeast and will make sure that your bread rises slowly. Next pour this water into the well and mix until the yeast dissolves,then start mixing in the rest of the flour. This will be sticky to the touch but don't add more flour or you won't get anything but heavy regular bread. The dough will be less sticky after it has been kneaded a bit. After you have the flour all mixed up, turn it out on a very lightly floured bread board. If you do not have a bread board, dampen your counter and sprinkle flour over it, then lightly smooth the excess flour to one side.

Kneading old style country bread is a bit different then regular bread in that you don't use the palms of your hands, instead you will stretch and fold the dough. This is best done by taking out any anger you might be harboring on your dough. Pick it up and throw it down, fold it over and slap it down on the counter some more. Keep doing this for about five minutes then cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it and your arms rest for five minutes. Repeat the kneading for another five minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic by now. Cover up the dough and let rise for exactly forty-five minutes, no longer. After forty-five minutes have passed, knead the dough for five minutes again, then let it rise for forty-five minutes again. You will need to repeat this one more time. Make sure the room that you are rising the dough in is at least 70 degrees, and not nore then 75 degrees.

While waiting for the last rising, you will need to prepare a baking stone for the final loaf rising. If you don't have a baking stone, a baking sheet will do. Sprinkle some of the cornmeal on it. Then divide the dough in half and form into the desired loaf shape. Place the loaves on your baking sheet or stone and cover with a cloth to let rise for an hour and a half. You can make slits in the loaves just before baking.

While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a shallow, empty roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven when you preheat the oven. Put the loaves in the oven and add 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan. Close the door quickly and bake for fifteen minutes, without peeking. The water will create steam that will keep the loaves from breaking open. After fifteen miutes, turn the temperature down to 425 degrees for thirty minutes or until hollow when tapped.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool completely. If you give in to the temptation to eat it hot from the oven, you will surely miss out on the flavor and texture that is formed from cooling the bread completely. Herbs and different flours can be used and enjoyed. You are only limited by your imagination. If your first try doesn't come out just right, please try again, you won't be disappointed. Good luck.

I got these recipes from the sites: http://www.mylearning.org/everyday-life-in-the-industrial-revolution/p-2355/resource/1509/ Gruel

and: http://www.essortment.com/make-old-fashioned-bread-44956.html Bread

Watch the video of me making a simple potato gruel! : )

The Assembly Line

In modern time cars are made quickly and efficiently. A car can be put together in only a few hours, but do you know the man behind the idea? Today I’m going to show to you the beginning of mass production of the model T in the Ford Motor Company.

First It would make the most sense if I explained what and how the assembly line works. There is a conveyor belt that is in a huge room or factory. Two people or machines are on either side. Each person focus on one part of whatever there building. All day they will only work on that one part/place. The goal is to have each person/machine move as little as possible. While still making the final product.

The assembly line was first thought and invented in 1776 in Adam Smith book The Wealth Of The Nations. In the book he describes about the classic economics. In the book it describes something like the assembly line. Thus creating the idea for the assembly line.

The first time the assembly line was used though, was in Eli Whitney's factory which made muskets and other weapons. Each person only working on a small part or parts of the gun. There was one problem, if the gun was damaged or hurt it had to be custom repaired.

Henry for though is the one who got the assembly line famous for mass production. His friend and fellow colleague William “Pa” Klann Explained the idea to Mr. Ford after he had gone to visit the Chicago Slaughter house. They had an deassembly line which took away parts of the meet of the pig or cow. Henry Ford took this up at once and it is also how they made the Model T. The model T was made from September 1908 to October 1927. More than 15,000,000 were made and sold. This was all with help of the assembly line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_line
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=assembly+line&FORM=HDRSC2#

The Battle of Saratoga

The Battle of Saratoga was in 1777 in Saratoga, New York. It was a battle part of the American Revolution and was a major turning point for the better. General John Burgoyne was leading the British and his soldier was tired and week from earlier battles. They were 7,200 strong on the first of 2 battles. The Americans lead by Benedict Arnold lead the Americans with the help of Haratio Gates were 9,000. It was a short battle. Burgoyne captured the American base Ticonderoga and forced the Americans out.

            General Burgoyne now owning fort Ticonderoga had a decision for winter. An other British general was moving north for the winter. Burgoyne cold either go south to Albany or stay at north to Ticonderoga. He decided to cross the Hudson River while his forces were still strong and stay at Ticonderoga.

            Benedict and Gates got help from George Washington while the British were hiding in the winter. He Ordered 750 men from the Massachusetts militia as well as 500 specially strained riflemen to join the command of Benedict Then in July the moved to the road 10 miles from Saratoga were the English would go to move to Albany. Now they were 12,000 strong against a now smaller English army only 6,200.

Gates, Arnold, and Lincoln were all assigned small groups that would Arnold took the left Flank while Lincoln and Gates stayed central and Attacked small outpost were the English tried to withdraw the Americans. The battle was long and only lasted what seemed like forever for the British. The English flanked left as planned, but Arnold was ready he and his men intercepted them. Gunfire continued though out the whole day. Also as planned other British tried to withdraw the Americans by attacking bases but it was to late the Americans where already thinning the British out.

The elite group of riflemen called Morgan’s men took out almost every person they could see. The main British forces were all pushed back while the Americans called in more reinforcements. French and Spanish troops were in small numbers but provided lots of ammunition and tactics.

Morgan’s men were so productive even with small numbers (500 men) they worked like 10,000, but then Burgoyne received orders to move his forces to the right, where the Morgan’s men were, now knowing how small the number’s were. But the Americans anticipated this and surrounded them, with the help of the New York Militia that came half way through, marking the end of the two battles.

The Americans only had 90 deaths and 240 wounded. But the British had 440 killed, 695 wounded, and 6,222 captured. This was a major turning point for the Americans with the resupply of weapons, clothes, food, and gunpowder. They were ready for the next winter.

Sources:

http://southwilliamstown.org/category/history/page/2/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_career_of_Benedict_Arnold,_1777–1779

http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-saratoga.htm

Too much time

If you have one night to do something, and it is due the next day, wouldn't you do it the day before? Probably. How about if it was due next week, or next month, would you still do it the day before? Probably not. That is what happens with long term projects, our minds think since we don't have to do the work now, then we can sit back and relax and do it on the very last day. This is actually the complete opposite of what we actually want to do. What happens at the very last moment, when you are rushing to do the assignment, your computer breaks down, or maybe your Internet crashes. What happens then, well your screwed. So if you do it early, then you can actually sit back and relax and not have to worry about when you need to complete the assignment.


Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastination

Paul Revere

By Abbey Gregory

Listen my children and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march

By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.

Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street

Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.

Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.

Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,

In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,

Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.

It was twelve by the village clock

When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.

It was one by the village clock,

When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.

It was two by the village clock,

When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball.

You know the rest. In the books you have read

How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.

So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,---
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

In Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is the tale of the beginning of the battles of Lexington and Concord. Although, in this story Paul Revere is a patriot in the war, he was not always on the watch of the British military. Up until he took part in the Boston tea party act, he was just a Silversmith. Shortly after the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere served as a courier for the Boston Committee of Public Safety. He traveled from Philadelphia to New York to report on the political happenings in places near Boston.

On April 7, 1775, there was rumor of movement by the British army. Joseph Warren sent Paul Revere to warn the Massachusetts Congress of the possible attack. Between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. on April 18th, Joseph Warren told Paul Revere that the British army were about to leave Cambridge in Ships. They were bound for Boston, Lexington and Concord. Warren told Revere that the objectives of the British were likely to Capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Adams and Hancock were not aware of any of these happenings, so Paul Revere was sent out to warn them as well as all of the military in nearby towns.

At this point the poem picks up. He said to his friend if the British march to hang a lantern in Belfry Arch. This is a signal between the people leading the counter attack. He said if one by land and two by sea warn all the people they encounter I will do the same on the opposite shore and we will warn all the townspeople to prepare for war. He then silently rode across the Charlestown shore. Just as the moon rose over the bay the Phantom ship of the British sailed its way into shore. Meanwhile, Revere’s friend quietly warned everyone of the oncoming battle. If you listened through the silence you could here the men, the arms, the tramping of feet making there way down to the shore. His friend climbed the tower of the old church to check on all the happenings in the town. What he saw in the churchyard was the dead. Some of townspeople, but mostly British. For a second he thought the battle was won but then he saw more ships coming in.

Meanwhile, on the opposite shore Paul Revere watched as all the ships started to come in. A hurry of hooves in the village street. Paul Revere raced to the waters edge. It was 12:00 by the time he crossed the bridge to Medford town. He heard noises around him that told him the whole town was awake. It was 1:00 when he rode into Lexington. He was almost there. It was 2:00 when he rode into Concord. He crossed the bridge that would be first to fall, when it was hit by a british musket ball. The British army fought but surrendered in the end. People all around fought against them and there were just too many for the British to win. So through the night rode Paul Revere and warned many towns to prepare for the British.

Paul Revere’s Ride is a partially fictional story of the great battles of Lexington and Concord. These battles write the story of our country. Many lives and communities were lost but in the end a great country was formed. Paul Revere helped lead the Americans in a tremendous revolution that shaped the United States of America.

Works Cited

"Fast American Revolution Facts." Fast American Revolution Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

"History Myths Debunked." History Myths Debunked. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

"Paul Revere Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

"Paul Revere." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

"Paul Revere." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

"Paul Revere's Ride." Paul Revere's Ride. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.