Happy Birthday, America! Over the past 248 years, America has evolved and changed to become, as the Constitution says, a more perfect Union. However, the most remarkable part of our history was how our great nation was created. Without brave patriots like George Washington, who knows if America would even exist today for us to joyously celebrate every 4th of July? George Washington was the father of our country; a hero whose bravery, dedication, patriotism, and wisdom will never be forgotten. George Washington put everything on the line so that America could be free and would go on to become America’s first president despite his desire to retire to his Mount Vernon estate. While Washington was the face of the Revolution, there were countless patriots in the ranks of the Continental Army whom history may not remember by name but were invaluable to the cause of American independence. The Continental Army was outnumbered, outgunned, and fighting against the greatest empire in the world ─ Great Britain. It seemed like all the unsurpassable obstacles that could be stacked against the patriots were there and more, yet the Continental Army had one thing the British did not ─ the drive for freedom. 

There were many factors that led to America winning the Revolutionary War, but we couldn’t have done it without good old espionage. The genius of George Washington knew that he needed spies to keep tabs on the British and uncover disastrous plots before they could happen. In the words of a British intelligence officer, Major George Beckwith, “Washington did not really outfight the British, he simply outspied us!” A little-known part of Revolutionary War history, the Culper Spy Ring was a crucial network of spies in the NYC, Long Island, and Connecticut areas without which the future of America would be in jeopardy. 

In my latest historical fiction novel, Marriage or Espionage: Read Between the Lines (available on Amazon), readers are immersed into the world of Anna Strong, the unsuspected female spy of the Culper Spy Ring. Anna Strong and her large family lived peacefully in Setauket, Long Island until the British came to town. Now, Anna Strong must make a difficult decision, but out of her love for America and her family, she decides to join the

Culper Spy Ring. Reading between the lines becomes a necessity for the Culper spies not only in their spy activities but also in their daily lives. While America’s future as an independent nation hangs in the balance, so does Anna’s marriage. As tensions run high and loyalties are questioned, Anna must prove, even to her own husband, that things are not always as they seem. 

As we explore the trials and tribulations of the American Revolution and Culper Spy Ring, one thing becomes clear ─ human nature never changes. Loyalty and betrayal, good guys and bad guys; these have always been and will always be part of society, but thankfully, the good prevails and moves our great country forward. Stemming back to our revolutionary roots, America was founded by patriots who would give anything for their country, and this flame of liberty still burns in our hearts to this day.

America has always beaten the odds. We defeated the most powerful colonial empire and established a system of government like no other ─ led by the people for the people. We wrote the Bill of Rights to provide protection to the people from the government. Finally, we had the first successful spy ring in America, the Culper Spy Ring, to which we are forever indebted in defeating the British so we could have the first modern successful Republic ─ the United States of America. Thanks to patriots like you and me, America is the best country in the world, which shines as a beacon of hope for all. 

Kristina Raevsky, a lover of American history and a true patriot, is a highly acclaimed four-time author