Sybil Ludington, Material Culture, and American Mythmaking

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of a lovely feminine Paul Revere...

Marla R. Miller and Paula D. Hunt discuss Sybil Ludington, material culture, and American mythmaking. Although there is no primary evidence supporting Sybil’s historic ride, she has become an increasingly popular figure tied to the American Revolution. This conversation was recorded on March 30, 2015. 

Correction: At (28:41), it was the Connecticut NOW (National Organization for Women) that sponsored the Sybil Ludington Young Feminist Award.

Check out Paula D. Hunt's article, “Sybil Ludington, the Female Paul Revere: The Making of a Revolutionary War Heroine,” from the June 2015 issue of The New England Quarterly.

Contributors:

Marla R. Miller, Member of NEQ's Editorial Board and Director of the Public History program at The University of Massachusetts, Ahmerst.

Paula D. Hunt, Doctoral Candidate at Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. 

 

Related content:

• "Drunk History" 
• "Hangry Moments in History"
• Daughters of the American Revolution 
• "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• Berton Braley's Take on Longfellow's poem
• Sybil Ludington golf ball 
• Sybil Ludington "Contributors to the Cause" stamp
• Colonel Ludington silhouette