In the earliest days of our country, as battles waged between Patriots and Loyalists, women were often the glue that held families and communities together. They kept farms going, businesses running, and children safe. They carried burdens quietly, faithfully, and often without recognition. This Mother’s Day, we remember and honor these extraordinary women.

We may not know all of their names, but we know their strength. For those we do know, they have come to symbolize bravery, sacrifice, hard work, and intelligence. They did incredible things in uncertain times. We remember Rebecca Motte, who watched her home burn, choosing liberty so the fight for freedom could continue. We remember Emily Geiger, who carried a message through dangerous territory and, when captured, committed it to memory and destroyed the evidence to protect the mission. We remember Eliza Pinckney, whose vision and determination helped sustain the economy of a young colony, and whose leadership extended far beyond her farm. We remember Mary Hyrne, Jane Black Thomas, and so many others who defended their homes and communities with courage that history is still catching up to. We remember Phillis Wheatley, whose words gave voice to the ideals of liberty even as she lived without it as an enslaved woman. We remember the women of the Catawba Nation, who endured and sustained their communities through a time of incredible uncertainty.

We remember the women who supported the soldiers, cooked and sewed, and nursed those who were hurt. These women opened their homes, sacrificed their own safety for the cause, and gave what little they had. And many of them were mothers.

These are women who raised sons who would fight and daughters who would endure. These are women who had so much to fear, but relied on hope to be their guide. These are women who understood that the future of this country would not only be decided on battlefields, but would also be shaped in kitchens and fields.

We know, as we study history, that their contributions have not always been recognized. But, thanks to the commemoration of our country’s 250th, their stories are being told. Their impact is being recognized. These women and their accomplishments are woven into the fabric of our nation, because freedom was not won by soldiers alone. It was sustained by women and still is today.

Modern-day mothers carry that same quiet strength. It may happen in different ways, at a different time, but their work, love, and bravery comes with the same devotion. These are women who lead, sacrifice, are the rock of their families, and who shape the future in ways that may never fully be recognized. It happens over and over again, every day.

The women of the American Revolution did not just help build a nation. They helped define it, and in many ways, still do. It is important that we continue to read about them and learn their stories, because they can teach us so much as women, and as mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters.
This Mother’s Day, we honor them. And we honor the women today who continue what they started.

Happy Mother’s Day.