Last Friday Sarah Palin mistakenly stated that Paul Revere went to warn the British on his famous “midnight ride.” Yesterday Palin “doubled down” on her claim, saying that she was not mistaken when she was again asked about Revere on Fox News Sunday. Palin’s followers evidently also believe her side of the story, and have undertaken a large effort to change the Paul Revere Wikipedia page in order to make the her story “correct.” The Palin army had some success in changing the page, but still has not provided a legitimate source to show that Revere warned the British.
Most familiar with the “One if by land, two if by sea” story know that Revere rode through the countryside to warn the Americans that the British regular army was arriving.
Palin followers claim to have found one source which defends their version of the story. The source states that Revere was captured by the British, and that he then informed the British officers that they may be endanger if the proceeded. The Wikipedia editors have noted that even if the story is true, Revere never intended to “warn the British” when he left from the Old North Church. The entire operation was meant to be clandestine, with the lanterns in the church tower only be left up for about one minute. If Revere wanted to warn British troops on purpose he would have no reason to ride into the countryside, since the British army could easily have been found within Boston. Revere only “warned” the British after he was captured.
Finally, even if we accept that Revere did intend to warn the British, Palin’s statement still does not matchup with the facts. In her statement Palin claimed that Revere warned the British that they “weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms” and by “ringing those bells.” Her full statement appears below:
“He [Revere] who warned uh, the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh by ringing those bells, and um, makin’ sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed.”
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