Editing Paul Revere (section)

===Business and social connections===

[[File:Tea Urn MET DP208084.jpg|thumb|Tea urn for [[John Rowe (merchant)|Hannah Rowe]], 1791, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]].]]
During the Revolutionary War, Revere continued his efforts to move upwards in society into the gentry. After his failed efforts to become a military officer he attempted to become a merchant, but was hindered by a number of factors: while he was a fairly well-off member of the artisan class, he did not have the resources to afford the goods he would have sold as a merchant, nor were lenders in England willing to lend him the required startup capital. Other American merchants of the time were able to continue their business with colleagues in England. However, Revere's inexperience as a merchant meant that he had not yet established such relationships and was not able to communicate as effectively on unfamiliar matters. Another factor preventing Revere's success as a merchant was the economic climate of the time period after the war known as the [[Confederation Period]]; while the colonies had seen a time of economic growth before the war, the colonies experienced a severe post-war depression, constraining the overall success of his business.{{sfn|Martello|2010|p=94}}

[[File:Revere Coat-of-Arms engraved by Paul Revere.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Revere Coat-of-Arms engraved by Paul Revere]]While Revere struggled as a merchant, his success as a silversmith enabled him to pursue and leverage more advanced technological developments for the purposes of mass production. For example, [[Rolling (metalworking)|rolling]] mills greatly improved the productivity of his silver shop and enabled his business to move further away from manufacturing high-end customized products in order to focus instead on the production of a more standardized set of goods.{{sfn|Martello|2010|pp=107–110}} In the 18th century, the standard of living continuously improved in America, as genteel goods became increasingly available to the masses.{{sfn|Federhen|1988|p=153}} Revere responded particularly well to this trend because his business was not solely manufacturing custom, high end purchases. Smaller products like teaspoons and buckles accounted for the majority of his work, allowing him to build a broad customer base.{{sfn|Federhen|1988|p=154}}

Revere's increased efficiency left financial and human resources available for the exploration of other products, which was essential to overcoming the fluctuating post-war economic climate.{{sfn|Falino|2001|p=77}} In addition to increasing production, the flatting mill enabled Revere to move towards a more managerial position.{{sfn|Martello|2010|pp=111–114}}