The birth of America has always been framed as a male affair. The contributions of the “founding fathers” are lauded, while the concurrent mothers are seldom mentioned. But women didn’t just stand by idly: they served as soldiers and spies, indispensable to the continental army’s goals. Celebrating America’s semiquincentennial, the New York Historical highlights the efforts of soldiers like Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man with the name of Robert Shurtleff, and Margaret Corbin. Both were among the first women to receive a federal pension after fighting in combat. Love letters, poems, military correspondence, and household items offer a look into how the women of New York shaped the American revolution. —Maggie Turner