Constituting America

She did not ask if she was allowed to serve her country. She just did.

Women did not sit out the American Revolution. They wrote letters that shaped strategy. They kept farms and families running while the men were gone. Some went further. They went into the field. Deborah Sampson went further still. Janine Turner wanted this episode to show what conviction looks like. Not permission. Not protest. Just a woman who decided her country needed her and found a way to show up.

You cannot win a war without a little craftiness. Deborah Sampson knew that.

The Pursuit is a vertical series written, directed, and starring Janine Turner for Constituting America, featuring the Founding Fathers and Mothers who shaped the nation. Their stories. Their decisions. Their courage.

Episode 15 drops tomorrow. Comment PURSUIT and we’ll send you the whole playlist to watch today!

New episodes release weekly through July 4 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.

He was 19 years old. He defied his king, bought his own ship, and crossed the Atlantic to fight for a country he had never seen.

Most Americans think of the Revolution as an American story. Lafayette reminds us it was even bigger than that. He was a French aristocrat with everything to lose. King Louis XVI ordered him not to go. He went anyway. He bought his own ship, crossed the Atlantic, and joined the Continental Army. He served without pay. He was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine.

He became one of Washington's most trusted generals. He returned to America in 1824 as a national hero. John Adams, then 89 years old, came out of retirement to see him one last time. It was not his country. It was not his war. He showed up anyway.

The Pursuit is a vertical series written, directed, and starring Janine Turner for Constituting America, featuring the Founding Fathers and Mothers who shaped the nation. Their stories. Their decisions. Their courage.

Comment DIRECTOR and we'll send you the Behind the Story interview with Janine.

New episodes release weekly through July 4 in honor of America's 250th anniversary.

Most Americans forget that France showed up when it mattered most.

France did not just cheer from the sidelines. They sent money. They sent soldiers. They sent their navy. The man who helped make that alliance possible was the Marquis de Lafayette. Janine Turner wanted this episode to show what most history books gloss over. The French contribution was not a footnote. It was a turning point.

Lafayette became a bridge between two nations and two revolutions. Washington trusted him deeply, and Lafayette admired him just as much. When America’s Revolution was won, Lafayette went home and carried those same ideals into France.

Some people change the course of history twice.

The Pursuit is a vertical series written, directed, and starring Janine Turner for Constituting America, featuring the Founding Fathers and Mothers who shaped the nation. Their stories. Their decisions. Their courage.

Episode 14 drops tomorrow. Comment PURSUIT and we’ll send you the link today to catch up on the whole series now!

New episodes release weekly through July 4 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.

Before the Declaration of Independence was signed… Americans were already fighting for it. Do you know the battle that might have proved they could win the American Revolution? watch below and find out!👇

If you enjoyed the reel, the full chat- 🇺🇸🎙️ "America 250: Sullivan's Island, A Crucial Stand for Freedom" - is ready to watch, listen to, and share!

Discover how a hastily built palmetto log fort and a band of determined patriots held off the most powerful navy in the world—and why Sullivan's Island still matters as we approach America 250. 🎧 Watch or listen now: us.constitutingamerica.org/ep305

🇺🇸 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
America250 Freedom 250

Her husband fell at the cannon. She stepped up and kept firing. George Washington personally commended her.

Most Americans have heard the name Molly Pitcher. Few know what she actually did. On June 28, 1778, at the Battle of Monmouth, she had been carrying water to soldiers through cannon fire all morning. When her husband collapsed from heat exhaustion, she reportedly stepped forward, took his place at the cannon, and kept loading until the battle was over. No one ordered her to. Washington is said to have personally commended her. She later received a pension from the Pennsylvania state legislature, becoming one of the first women in American history to do so.

Nobody told her to. Nobody had to.

The Pursuit is a vertical series written, directed, and starring Janine Turner for Constituting America, featuring the Founding Fathers and Mothers who shaped the nation. Their stories. Their decisions. Their courage.

Comment DIRECTOR and we’ll send you the Behind the Story interview with Janine.

New episodes release weekly through July 4 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.