Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
| Online Publication Date: 26 Nov 2009
The Other Ride of Paul Revere: The Brokerage Role in the Making of the American Revolution
The Other Ride of Paul Revere: The Brokerage Role in the Making of the American Revolution
Page Range: 143 – 162
The celebrated tale of his "Midnight Ride" notwithstanding, Paul Revere's role in the events leading up to the American Revolution remains rather obscure. Joseph Warren, known as the man who sent Revere on that ride, presents a similar quandary. What was the nature of the roles they played in the mobilization process? I address the question from a social structural perspective, reassessing the evidence and reconsidering the key concept of brokerage. The analysis shows that these men were bridges par excellence, spanning the various social chasms and connecting disparate organizational elements of the movement, thus bringing together "men of all orders" to forge an emerging movement.
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