allthebeautifulthings9828:Okay, you little peaches. Sit down so we can talk history.Y’all know about
allthebeautifulthings9828:Okay, you little peaches. Sit down so we can talk history.Y’all know about Paul Revere’s midnight ride during the Revolutionary War, right? He rode twelve miles to warn people that the British were coming, along with a couple of other guys that history has largely forgotten.Meet Sybil Ludington. This 16-year-old girl rode forty miles during the night in 1777 to warn Colonial forces that the British were coming. Virtually the same thing as Paul Revere, yet Sybil was not taught in history classes when I was in school. Did any of you learn about this girl in school?I did not learn about Sybil in school but American Girl covered it!Paul Revere gets taught though, mainly for two reasons. People know the poem, so he’s a literary figure as well as a historical one. And the fact that Revere is connected to what is generally accepted as the first battle of the Revolution is what makes it stick. The Battle of Ridgefield doesn’t show up too often in the narrative. Not that Sybil isn’t important; far from it. But her story tends to be seen as one of local significance rather than national. It would be nice to have her mentioned more though. I like to hope that history classes could move from the important names and dates model to telling more stories like this one. They add a human connection and historiographical touch to the narrative. -- source link