Remembering the women of the American Revolutionary War

The Boston Tea Party was a day of significance students of American history know well. Demonstrators disguised themselves and boarded ships to cast chests of British tea into the Boston Harbor — no taxation without representation. This protest was the result of a growing ideology that eventually spurred a war for independence and led to some of the most consequential documents in history — the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

There were other protests, other tea parties even, that drew inspiration from the Sons of Liberty’s destruction of tea.

The Edenton Tea Party was one such protest in response to the tax levied by the British government on the American colonies. At the home of Elizabeth King, women gathered on Oct. 25, 1774, to sip tea made from herbs and signed a resolution. To give “memorable proof of their patriotism,” the ladies said they wouldn’t drink any more British tea or wear British clothing.

It was published in postscript to the Virginia Gazette on Nov. 3, 1774.

The resolution sparked mockery from those loyal to the rulers who lived across the pond. Arthur Iredell quipped to his brother James Iredell, “Is there a Female Congress at Edenton, too?” Iredell snidely remarked that the loyalists were secure because only a handful of places have as much “female artillery as Edenton.” A satirical cartoon running in London newspapers mocked the women.

But the women were undeterred.

The Edenton Tea Party was one of many instances where women participated in the American Revolution and advanced the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Newspaper clips, state archives and documents from the Library of Congress help tell the stories of these women.

Daughters of Liberty

The American colonies were burdened by taxes the British Parliament levied in 1765. The Stamp Act taxed printed materials — from newspapers to legal documents to play cards.

Receiving opposition from people living in the colonies, the Stamp Act was repealed, but it was replaced by a more expansive law: the Townshend Act, which led to the taxation of tea, lead, glass, paper and other imported goods.

Amid the taxation, the Daughters of Liberty formed — a group of women who used the power of the purse to oppose actions by the British Parliament.

Boycotting British goods like cloths and silks, these women took to spinning their own fabric; they even did so in public spinning bees. But they were scarcely referred to as “Daughters of Liberty” in the papers, as historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote in “The Age of Homespun.” Instead, newspapers called them “young women” or “Daughters of Industry” or “noble-hearted Nymphs.”

The Boston Gazette printed an account of such a bee on April 7, 1766 — the gathering itself took place in March.

“Eighteen Daughters of Liberty, young Ladies of good Reputation, assembled at the House of Doctor Ephraim Bowen, in this Town, in Consequence of an Invitation of that Gentleman, who hath discovered a laudable Zeal for introducing Home Manufactures,” read the report.

The report said the Daughters of Liberty spun from sunrise until nightfall and noted the women cheerfully skipped drinking tea — described as an act of patriotism.

The women reportedly unanimously called the Stamp Act unconstitutional and said they would boycott British goods until it was repealed. They even resolved to not “admit the Addresses of any Gentleman, should they have Opportunity” if they were not of similar mind.

All across the Northeast, women gathered informally and formally to oppose British taxation through their spinning bees. Just like not drinking tea became a symbol of which side a woman was on (women boycotting tea mixed herbs and berries), so was attire.

The gowns the Daughters of Liberty donned — homespun without frills or ribbons — became a recognizable symbol.

The Virginia Gazette in December 1767 called this outfitting an example of “public virtue and private economy.”

The Daughters of Liberty joined the Sons of Liberty in issuing notice of public boycott, like the one signed against William Jackson sometime around 1768, and they rallied others to their cause.

Women, including the Daughters of Liberty turned their energy toward fundraising for the army when the war got underway. But they continued to raise their voices — Esther Reed is an example.

Fundraising, advising and fighting during the war

Reed was integral in launching the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, a group that raised money for the Continental Army.

When announcing the formation of the group on Jan. 10, 1780, Reed wrote, “On the commencement of actual war, the Women of America manifested a firm resolution to contribute as much as could depend on them, to the deliverance of their country. Animated by the purest patriotism, they are sensible of sorrow at this day, in not offering more than barren wishes for the success of so glorious a Revolution.”

Reed also referenced the sacrifices women had made in the years leading up to the revolution and said women were inspired by ancient heroines to fight for the cause of liberty.

Women like Abigail Adams became key advisers.

While her husband John Adams was off at war, Abigail Adams corresponded with her husband via letters. The two would energetically trade political and philosophical ideas. Her influence became one of her defining characteristics, especially when John Adams later became president.

Abigail Adams was a staunch advocate of American independence. In a letter dated Nov. 12, 1775, she wrote that she couldn’t join a petition to reconcile the colonies and Britain.

“Let us separate, they are unworthy to be our Brethern,” wrote Adams. “Let us renounce them and instead of suplications formorly for their prosperity and happiness, Let us beseach the almighty to blast their counsels and bring to Nought all their devices.”

As the American Revolution stretched on, women continued to contribute to the defense of liberty.

Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and went to the frontlines to fight. Sarah Bache, part of the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, fundraised for the army. Another woman named Sarah Osborn cooked food for men in the trenches.

Margaret Corbin and Mary Ludwig Hays aided soldiers on the canon crews. Nancy Hart spied on British soldiers. Clementine Reid and Mary Crouch published and edited publications in support of the revolution. Martha Washington helped make soldiers clothing and visited the sick and injured.

Then, of course, there are the women whose names are lost to history, but whose contributions to the fight for liberty live on in the newspapers, in the material items from the time period and in the result of the war — freedom.