Two if by Sea – Ford in Focus

Two hundred fifty years ago, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott rode through the night declaring that “the British were coming.” On April 19, 1775, the American Revolutionary War began with shots fired in the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Two hundred years later, in 1975, President Ford officially kicked off the nation-wide bicentennial celebrations by visiting the Old North Church in Boston where, on that fateful evening of April 18, 1775, two lanterns were lit to signal the British would be coming by sea. President Ford spoke on the occasion, stating: “Reason and hope were the twin lanterns of [George] Washington’s life. They enabled him to prevail over the day-to-day doubts and defeats. They have been the lamps that have lighted the road of America toward its ultimate goals – dignity and self-fulfillment – and, yes, pride in country¹.”

Following his speech, President Ford witnessed the ceremonial lighting of two lanterns, and then lit a third lantern that signified America’s third century.

^{President Gerald R. Ford and Rev. Robert Golledge watch attendants light lanterns during the Bicentennial Ceremony of the Hanging of Paul Revere’s Two Lanterns at Old North Church in Boston, MA, on April 18, 1975.
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Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library}

^{President Gerald R. Ford and Rev. Robert Golledge light the third lantern to mark America’s Third Century during the Bicentennial Ceremony of the Hanging of Paul Revere’s Two Lanterns at Old North Church in Boston, MA, on April 18, 1975.
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Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library}

As we enter the halfway point of that third century and begin semiquincentennial celebrations, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum will be lighting two lanterns at each facility on April 18 and 19. In doing so, we are joining a nationwide initiative, “Two Lights for Tomorrow,” in commencing the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.

Author: Brooke Clement

Text of Remarks by the President to Be Delivered at the Old North Church, Boston, Massachusetts [Ford Speech or Statement] ↩︎