 Longfellow was the most popular poet of his day . As a friend once wrote to him , " no other poet was so fully recognized in his lifetime " . Many of his works helped shape the American character and its legacy , particularly with the poem " Paul Revere 's Ride " . He was such an admired figure in the United States during his life that his 70th birthday in 1877 took on the air of a national holiday , with parades , speeches , and the reading of his poetry . 
