The Edenton Tea Party was organized by Penelope Barker, a marked patriot and leader among the women of Edenton, North Carolina. She knew full well that women who up to then were considered passive in political matters could, through purse strings and social connections, hold considerable power, Kerber 64. Being one of the wealthier citizens of the colony, Barker was in a better position to take the risks involved in organizing such a meeting. But she had intended to rally a large coalition of women — mothers, wives, daughters — who controlled household budgets and were buying tea, fabric, and other household staples. We would thus withhold from British imports the boon that kept Britain in control over us economically and rise up in revolt. …show more content…
Even though it seemed like political discourse was a man's world, I strongly believed that women had a place in it, too. We could help weaken Britain's economic hold on the colonies and join the broader movement calling for independence and self-governance by choosing to boycott their goods. Among the many laws that the British had imposed upon us, taking away our rights, the Tea Act was a symbol of taxation without representation and a means by which colonial resources could be taken further to enrich the Crown. According to historian Linda K. Kerber, by joining this party, these women claimed a political voice for themselves in company with other male patriots who were protesting British taxation of any sort. Indeed, as Kerber has noted, "the Edenton ladies asserted their membership in a political community" by participating in the Edenton Tea Party; it aligned them with the male patriots also protesting British taxation. As I look back, I would confidently say that joining the Edenton Tea Party was not a wrong decision, but a very right one. This is because our commitment builds a cohesive unity among patriots in the colonies, thus encouraging more to join. Even the British officials appreciated that, even as small in scale as our