By Dee Cappelli Santa Monica
(Re: July 4) As years go by, I am, more and more, deeply appreciative of my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Thanks to those who took action in 1776, I have the liberty to choose to drink whatever I want in the morning (I choose tea because I like it and not because I have no other choice). Sweet Liberty! I fully understand why King George and his minions did not want to part with country.
As we remember the Founding Fathers, the Minutemen, Paul Revere, John Paul Jones, I ask you to consider remembering the contribution of the women of that time and place. Most know about Betsy Ross, Abigail Adams and Molly Pitcher, but there are many unsung women who were part of what won our independence and liberty.
Just to mention a few: Sybil Ludington, who rode through a chilly Connecticut midnight in April 1777 to warn the area militia that the British were burning nearby Danbury. Her brave ride, like Paul Revere’s, allowed our troops to stop the British and forced them to retreat.
Margaret Corbin, a soldier’s wife, who, at the age of 25, fought side-by-side with her husband when the British attacked Fort Washington.
Deborah Sampson Gannet, who dressed as a soldier and fought heroically until severely wounded in a battle at Tarrytown, NY.
Nancy Hart, a six-foot sharpshooter in the Georgia frontier who fought the invading enemy.
Lydia Darrah, a Philadelphia Quaker who, as a self-appointed spy, warned Washington’s army of an impending British attack.
As a woman, I am luckier than men when it comes to Independence Day. I celebrate my independence twice a year — once on the Fourth of July and again every year on Aug. 18, the day in 1920 when women became full citizens of this beautiful country with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Since there’s no e-card for that day, I’ll acknowledge it here. Without the actions behind July 4, none of us would have a voice. Without the 19th Amendment, July 4 would be a day when half this country — its women — would have no voice. And everybody knows how I love to talk!
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 7, 2007. Read the original PDF.