250th Anniversary of Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

"One if by land, and two, if by sea . . ." so go the famous words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem "Paul Revere's Ride". A poem he penned in 1860 commemorating the famous horseback ride of Paul Revere, along with William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott to warn the Patriots in Lexington, Massachusetts and Concord, Massachusetts that the British were coming. The reason the warning was so imperative was because the British were planning a crackdown on the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in Concord and part of their plan included seizing the military stores of the Patriots consisting of gunpowder, cannons, and ammunition, that the Patriots had accumulated.

The reference in "One if by land, and two, if by sea" in Longfellow's poem refers to the signal lanterns in the steeple of the Old North Church in Boston orchestrated by Paul Revere that would alert the Patriots as to which route the British troops were taking to converge upon Concord. One lantern and one ringing of the bell stood for an overland route through the Boston Neck, two lanterns and two ringings of the bell referred to a sea bound route across the Charles River.

It was 250 years ago on the night of April 18th, 1775 that Paul Revere rode to Lexington, Massachusetts after spotting the lantern signals to where Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying and persuaded them to leave the city to avoid capture at the hands of the British. Paul Revere, himself, was later captured during his midnight ride, but fortunately for the history of the United States of America, his capture occurred after the news of a British attack was successfully conveyed. While his horse was confiscated to replace the tired mount of a British sergeant during his midnight ride, Revere was released after being questioned and able to return to Lexington on foot in time to witness the latter part of the battle of Lexington Green. With the Battles of Lexington and Concord being the first major military campaign of the American Revolutionary War, that served as a catalyst for an outpouring of militia support for the anti-British cause among the 13 colonies.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's historic ride, Governor Kay Ivey signed a proclamation on March 06th, 2025 making April 18th, 2025 "Two Lights for Tomorrow Day" in Alabama. An initiative that seeks to celebrate the USA's 250th Anniversary by encouraging people to light two candles in their windows at home or at their businesses to honor Paul Revere's ride and the consequent fight for American Independence. Government offices are also encouraged to participate by using symbolic lighting in public buildings, alongside public readings of "Paul Revere's Ride". And for those who love to share things on social media, they are also encouraged to share their participation with the hashtag of #TwoLightsForTomorrow.