Now, Here’s a True America’s Woman! Plus 10 Surprising Facts for America’s 250!

Mary Ludwig Hays was born on October 13, 1754. When she was in her early twenties, she married a barber named William Hays who decided to enlist in the 4th Pennsylvania Artillery and served in the Continental Army when the American Revolutionary War began. Mary (called Molly”) Hays reportedly brought water to the troops at the Battle of Monmouth.

When her husband was wounded during battle, she made the decision to take his place at the cannon and began firing. By accident one cannonball reportedly ripped through her skirts, to which Molly exclaimed, “Well, that could have been worse.”

After the battle, legend has it George Washington asked about the courageous woman who was on the battlefield and promoted her to a non-commissioned officer. That’s why Hays carried the nickname “Sergeant Molly.”

There are so many amazing and miraculous accounts of everyday patriots who know what time it was—a time to fight for liberty against all odds. (We are in such a time right now!) 

I also recommend this inspiring book: Miracles in American History: 32 Amazing Stories of Answered Prayer.

And for some fun at your America 250 celebration, quiz your family and friends:

Here are 10 surprising, inspiring facts about the founding and history of the United States of America. Our nation truly is remarkable!

1. What is the global average lifespan of a national constitution? - 17 years.

America’s Constitution is the world's oldest written national constitution still in use. Drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1788, it has governed a nation for over 235 years — through civil war, industrialization, two world wars, and the digital age — with only 27 amendments.

2. What age range were the American Founders? - They were extraordinarily young.

At the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, James Monroe was 18, Alexander Hamilton was about 21, James Madison was 25, and Thomas Jefferson — who wrote the Declaration — was just 33. It was, in many ways, a revolution led by young people.

3. Did the Founders expect citizens to elect and transition to new leaders? - The peaceful transfer of power was a radical invention.

When John Adams lost to Thomas Jefferson in 1800, it marked the first time in modern history that a ruling government voluntarily handed power to a political opposition through an election. The world had never seen anything like it.

4. Was The Bill of Rights an obvious addition? - It almost didn't exist.

Several key Founders, including James Madison, initially argued a Bill of Rights was unnecessary. It took persistent pressure from figures like George Mason and Anti-Federalists across the states to add those first 10 amendments — the very rights now seen as America's most defining feature.

5. How old was Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration? – He was 70 years old.

While many Founders were young, Franklin's presence bridged generations. He had already lived a full life as a scientist, inventor, and diplomat — and he still had 14 more years of consequential work ahead of him.

6. Did America grow in size through war and conquest? - The U.S. doubled its size without a major war — twice.

The Louisiana Purchase (1803) added 828,000 square miles for about $15 million (roughly 3 cents per acre). The later acquisition of Alaska in 1867 cost just $7.2 million. Entire continents of territory transferred through negotiation and purchase.

7. What source document was the most cited in the U.S. Constitution? - The Bible was the most-cited single source, accounting for about 34% of all citations.

The Bible — and specifically Deuteronomy — was the single most-cited source. More than any Enlightenment philosopher or secular school of thought, the Bible was the most-quoted text in the broader political culture that shaped the Founders' worldview.

8. How long did it take for America to become a world economic success? - The U.S. went from a colonial backwater to the world's largest economy in about 100 years.

By the 1890s — barely a century after independence — the United States had surpassed Britain as the world's leading industrial power, driven by immigration, innovation, and an entrepreneurial culture baked in from the start.

9. What is our national motto, and why is it surprising? - E Pluribus Unum ("Out of many, one") was chosen as a motto in 1782.

The idea of forging a single unified nation from 13 fiercely independent, squabbling colonies with different economies, religions, and cultures was considered nearly impossible by outside observers. The fact that it held together at all is remarkable.

10. Of the original Grievances written to King George III, what was the one most emphasized? - Jefferson's Original Anti-Slavery Grievance

Among the 86 changes made to Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence, none was more significant than the deletion of an entire paragraph condemning King George III for perpetuating the slave trade.

There are 168 words in the passage. No other grievance comes near to it in length — and Jefferson intentionally placed it last among all the complaints, after all other grievances, for maximum effect.

America was born into a world where slavery was the overwhelming global norm — practiced by essentially every empire, kingdom, and civilization on earth. That context doesn't excuse the founders' failure to abolish it, but it does make the radicalism of Jefferson's deleted anti-slavery passage even more remarkable. He was trying to condemn an institution so universal it had existed for 11,000 years, at a moment when virtually no government on earth had yet found the will to end it.

How will your family and friends do on the quiz? Enjoy your celebration and remember to thank God for the miracle of the nation that gives us so much, though no nation is perfect. We are blessed because of the radical grounding principles that gave our citizens liberty, opportunity and human dignity! Happy Independence Day #250!