What are some reasons that Paul Revere was an important American patriot?

There are several reasons why Paul Revere was an important American patriot, most of which dated to the period before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. He was a Boston metalsmith, and this was really his claim to fame during his life--his work was well-known in Boston and elsewhere. But like many artisans and businessmen in Boston during the 1760s, he was active in public life, and when the imperial crisis developed after the French...

There are several reasons why Paul Revere was an important American patriot, most of which dated to the period before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. He was a Boston metalsmith, and this was really his claim to fame during his life--his work was well-known in Boston and elsewhere. But like many artisans and businessmen in Boston during the 1760s, he was active in public life, and when the imperial crisis developed after the French and Indian War, he became an active leader in the resistance. He was an early member of the Sons of Liberty, formed to protest against British taxation and other policies, and used his talents as an engraver to produce anti-British propaganda in Boston newspapers and for leaflets and broadsides. For example, his engraving of the "Bloody Massacre," which grossly exaggerated the events at the Boston Massacre, became essentially the official Patriot account of the event. Obviously, he played a role in the "ride" that alerted the area militia that the British were marching on Lexington and Concord, and it is for this that we most remember him. He served briefly in the Continental Army, and would remain prominent after independence.