Daughters of Liberty

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

The Daughters of Liberty was a successful Colonial American group that proved women's involvement in politics could be benevolent for the country. As public support to boycott British goods increased, the Daughters of Liberty joined the support to condemn British importation. They also made goods that used to be imported from Britain.

The Daughters of Liberty used their traditional skills to weave yarn and wool into fabric, known as "homespun". They were recognized as patriotic heroines for their success, which made America less dependent on British textiles. They were trying to prove their commitment to "the cause of liberty and industry".

They also had a large influence during the war. For example, in the countryside, while Patriots supported the non-importation movements of 1765, and 1769, the Daughters of Liberty continued to support American resistance. In 1774, the patriot women helped influence a decision made by Continental Congress to boycott all British goods.

The Daughters of Liberty was also one of the many groups of women who fought for women's equality.

[edit] Women Associated with the Daughters of Liberty

Sarah Bradlee Fulton has been called the "Mother of the Boston Tea Party". Her brother, Nathaniel Bradlee, was a patriot and many meetings were held in his home. A group of Boston citizens were disguised as Mohawk Indians in the Bradlee home by Mrs. Bradlee and Fulton and afterwards bathed to remove their makeup.

Phoebe Fraunces was George Washington's black housemaid. Her lover, Thomas Hickey, was one of General Washington's bodyguards. He had been convinced to join the British side and was conspiring to kill Washington. Hickey asked Fraunces to poison Washington's peas and Fraunces agreed so as to learn Hickey's plans. She informed Washington and on the night that he was to kill him, Washington in the presence of Hickey threw the poisoned peas out an open window into the yard. Chickens came to eat the peas and died immediately from the poison. Hickey was convicted of conspiring to kill the General and was hanged.

Esther de Berdt was a London-born woman who worked to raise more than $7000 in Philadelphia in support of the Revolutionary War. She helped to organize a women's group which used the money to sew linen shirts for the soldiers of the Continental Army. She was married to Joseph Reed, one of George Washington's aides-de-camp, and later a delegate to the Continental Congress.

[edit] Sources

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/a/u/Daughters_of_Liberty_a8ba.html"