The Daughters of Liberty

An Order from the Daughters of Liberty, Library of Congress

Their Mission

The Daughters of Liberty were formed in an effort to boycott British goods by making their own. This was essential to the progress of the revolution as the boycotting efforts put up a barrier between American and British economic correspondence, resulting in economic losses for the British. They often provided support to the Sons of Liberty by rallying essential social and political support.¹

¹ Katie  Egner Gruber, “The Daughters of Liberty,” American Battlefield Trust, accessed 2024, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/daughters-liberty.

Sarah Bradlee Fulton

   Sarah Bradlee Fulton was regarded as the “Mother of the Boston Tea Party”, with some reports coining her as the brains behind the operation.² She was said to have dressed the men up as Mohawk Indians and also helped with getting rid of said disguises. Not only that, but she was one of the first female spies under George Washington. She went undercover as a message delivery woman, as the British were looking for male spies. Fulton is credited with being one of the first “Daughters of Liberty,” and her efforts as a female spy propelled the war forward, especially due to her efforts in instigating the Boston Tea Party.³

² Shilling, Presley, Jeffery Byford, and DeAnna Owens-Mosby. Remembering the Ladies! , 2023. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1216&context=the_councilor.

³ Petrelis, Anthony. “Sarah Bradlee Fulton: Mother of the Boston Tea Party: About the Hero.” Lowell Milken Center, February 5, 2024. https://www.lowellmilkencenter.org/programs/projects/view/sarah-bradlee-fulton/hero

A digitized page of the Stamp Act of 1765, Massachusetts Historical Society.

The Stamp and Townshend Acts

   The Stamp Act was introduced in 1765, and under this act, American colonists had to buy a stamp anytime they used or purchased anything printed on paper. Alongside the Sons of Liberty, the Daughters of Liberty assisted in forming public resistance to this act. This group was formed in an effort to resist the implementation of the Stamp Act, and then later continued their work during the passing of the Townshend Act. In terms of boycotting, the Daughters of Liberty refused to buy British goods and encouraged others to follow suit. They took this a step further by making their own tea and creating homespun linen to replace the British goods they previously invested in.⁴

   These protests allowed women to finally take part in standing up for themselves and their country. They were able to take a stand by publicly asserting their opposition to the act publicly, and they were able to gain support from the community by doing so. Although they could not vote, these women still had an influential role in the American Revolution by lobbying for public support and building the American cause.

⁴ “The Stamp Act and the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.” US History, May 7, 2014. https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/ushistory/chapter/the-stamp-act-and-the-sons-and-daughters-of-liberty/.

Spinning Bees

   To take their fight even further, women started to make their own cloth to gain independence from British textile manufacturers. On April 7, 1766, the Boston Gazette reported that the ladies were “spinning through sunrise until dark, and displayed a spirit for a sinking country.”⁵ 

   These spinning bees brought popularity to the boycott, and through both word of mouth and newspaper articles, the women of the revolution aided in both contributing to the separation of Britain from America, but encouraging others to do the same.

⁵ “The Bolfton and Country Journal.” MHS: founded 1791, April 7, 1766. https://www.masshist.org/dorr/volume/1/sequence/379.