Today, as we celebrate Independence Day, we talk about and remember the Founding Fathers.
One of the more memorable events that led to the revolution was the announcement by Paul Revere that the British were coming.
Unknown to many Americans, there is another one that made a similar ride. Her name was Sybil Ludington. The teen-aged daughter of Colonel Henry Ludington, a hero of the Revolutionary War in his own right, young Sybil rode to alert neighbors about the impending British invasion. Legend states that she rode farther and faster than the men who took similar actions.
She was only 16 years old.
When we speak of history and heroes who had a hand in shaping the future, we often only speak of men. We rarely speak of women or young girls.
It’s time to change that. We need to honor the women in our collective past who did not confirm to what it was to be a proper lady. In taking that ride, Sybil Ludington, in her own small way, paved the way for future generations of women to do what is right, as opposed to what is proper.
Happy Independence Day.
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