Historical Overview

Paul Revere was a man of many talents, most of them related to mechanical or technical skills. He began his professional education under his father, who was a silver- and goldsmith. As the economy in Boston expanded and contracted, he was able to adapt to the
changing needs of his neighbors and the country. In this source set students will get to do an in-depth examination of the types of things Revere created. For example, he was the first person in New England to cast and sell church bells, which meant local churches could acquire a bell without having to get it shipped all the way over from England. When luxury goods such as silver and gold became scarce in the years leading up to the Revolution, Paul took up a more practical business: dentistry. This gave him an additional income stream to help supplement his struggling silver shop. He also used his engraving skills to help the Massachusetts Bay Colony pay their soldiers by creating currency that could be mass produced. Finally, students can see what his business card looked like, and how he advertised his abilities.

Click here for downloadable PDF of the Business timeline

Close Reading Questions

• Wastebook
  • Why do you think Mr. Hooper asked for wooden handles on his coffee pots rather than metal ones? Customers who ordered teapots and pots for hot chocolate usually preferred wooden handles too.
• Dentistry Ad
  • What dental services did Revere provide?
  • Is this ad persuasive? Would it convince you to hire Revere to work on your teeth? Why or why not?
• Trade Card
  • Make a list of all the items Revere says he can manufacture at his foundry.
  • With whom was Revere working?
  • For what is Revere willing to pay cash?

  Suggested Activities

• Wastebook
  • Paul Revere created an accounting system to keep track of information he needed to run his silver business. Create a chart for information that is important to you. For example, if you play sports, do you want to keep track of the positions you play, the points you score, and number of minutes you play per game? Or perhaps you want to keep a list of books you have read, including the title, number of pages, the author, and when you finished the book? Or money you have earned and saved?
  • Write a dialogue, like in a play, of what you imagine Paul Revere and Robert Hooper talked about when Hooper visited Paul in his shop to order the coffee pot.
• Dentistry Ad
  • Write an advertisement for something you can do for other people. Try to be as descriptive and persuasive as possible about why you’re the best person for the job. For an added challenge, write it in the third person, like Paul does in his advertisement.
• Trade Card
  • Choose a colonial trade or craft and design a trade card for yourself. To make your card look authentic, choose a colonial font, such as Caslon, Garamond, or Old Claude.

Standards

• MA HSS 2018 Social Studies Standards
  • Grade 1: Topic 4: Economics: resources and choices
  • Grade 1: Reading Standards for Informational Text
  • Grade 2: Topic 5: Economics: resources and choices
  • Grade 2: Reading Standards for Informational Text
  • Grade 3: Reading Standards for Informational Text
  • Grade 4: Reading Standards for Informational Text