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Colonial Women
Following the Sons of Liberty Tea Party in the Boston Harbor in 1773, where 50 men disguised themselves as natives so their identities wouldn’t be known, 51 colonial women publicly acted politically. They penned a letter to the King of England in 1774, stating their intention to not use any commodity Britain wanted to ship and tax them on. They signed it! They were ridiculed in the British Press, and most certainly caused embarrassment to their husbands and fathers, in Edenton, NC. By affixing their signature, they also faced lawful incrimination. But when British ships blockaded the harbor, the women remained resolute.
While Sam Adams was creating chaos in Massachusetts, women calling themselves Daughters of Liberty, took oaths to not wear anything but homemade clothes, revolting against imported fashion. They did without British goods and foods, making personal family sacrifices for the good of the colonies. They began “cottage industries” and supported each other with goods and services.
In 1773, Betsy Griscom, a 21-year-old New Jersey Quaker, trained in upholstery, eloped with John Ross, the son of an Episcopal rector, resulting in her expulsion from the Quaker Church and her community. They set up their upholstery shop in Philadelphia, and John joined the militia. Two years later she was widow, providing for herself. In 1776 or 1777, General George Washington paid a visit to Mrs. Ross’s shop bringing a design he and the Continental Congress had decided upon for a flag to represent the new nation. Betsy Ross changed his 6-pointed star to a 5-pointed star showing him that the cloth could be folded so the star could be cut out with one snip, economy of time and material. A woman would know this.
The British failed in their first attempt to take Charleston when repelled by Colonel William Moultrie and the Second South Carolina Infantry at Fort Sullivan. During the turmoil of the battle Moultrie saw a dark blue flag with a crescent moon and the word Liberty. South Carolina Loyalists and Rebels soon had their wives, mothers, sisters, and girl friends sewing these moon-like crescents on their caps. That original design was likely a gift from a SC woman for her husband or sweetheart.
Years later when John Adams became second President of the United States, First Lady Abigail Adams spoke publicly opposing slavery, pushing for women’s rights and education. She encouraged women to teach their daughters and slaves to read. She urged President Adams to “Remember the ladies, John.” She urged him to not to put unlimited power into the hands of husbands. When she became a widow, she took over and managed the family farm and business. She was the mother of John Quincy Adams.
Published in 1865, a poem by William Ross Wallace, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is the Hand That Rules the World,” was often quoted celebrating the power of women that was always there behind great men.