38
3
|
Posted by HockeyGod Promoted 139 days 10 hours ago 2501 views
editorial
Education / History
|
12 comments
|
|
What you didn't know about the famous ride that warned the colonists that the British were coming.
Today marks the 233rd anniversary of one of history's most famous rides. History buffs may remember this famous rider who rode all along the colonies warning people about the impending war with England.
I'm sure you're all familiar with "the British are coming, the British are coming" but the actual shout was more along the lines of "To arms, to arms, the war has begun"
We all learned about Paul Revere's ride in history class, but this article isn't about Paul Revere.
The ride I'm talking about was made by Israel Bissell. Often mistaken for a Jewish vacuum cleaner, Israel Bissell was a post rider from Taxachusetts.
Bissell rode 345 miles to Philadelphia carrying a letter from a general and warning the colonists that the war was starting. He literally rode until his horse collapsed and died.
Revere rode a measly 19 miles.
30 some other riders also made a trip, but none as long as the 345 mile trip that Bissell made.
I like to use this day to not only remind people about Israel Bissell, but about history in general. There's a lot of things our high school history books skew.
Paul Revere got his legendary status not from his actions, but from a Longfellow poem. Longfellow wasn't playing favoritism or being anti semitic, he simply chose Revere because it rhymed better. (Note: I have no idea if Bissell was actually Jewish.)
It's good to remember that history is really "His Story" and is almost always written by the winner or the ruling party. History is the story of the victor, and the victor often takes liberties with what he tells you.
He can, for example, leave out the fact that Helen Keller was pro communism, or that Woodrow Wilson was an extreme racist. That's how history works.
April 18th is always a good time to remind ourselves that what we learned in high school isn't always the whole story - it's "His Story," whoever "He" happens to be.
Related Links:The Trains Stopped Today 30gigs.com - Get Your 30GB Inbox Today!