Men were not the only ones involved in the Revolution. Before the war it was considered unladylike for women to voice their beliefs or opinions in public.

During the Revolution women's roles changed. Women began to speak more openly about the political aspects of life. They gave up their elaborate gowns and sometimes their homes for the cause of the revolution. Some women worked in hospitals; many were left to run businesses, farms or plantations. Some formed organizations to renounce the use of tea and other imported items. Below are the stories of some of the important women from this time period.

Mercy Ottis Warren

Mercy was an intelligent, educated woman. At the beginning of the Revolution, when women were not allowed to speak of political issues, she expressed her views and thoughts by writing books and poetry. Her works were published anonymously because she was a woman. If the British troops had discovered her identity, she could have been imprisoned. In addition, Mercy became an advisor to her brother, James Ottis, and his friends, Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Thanks to the political writings of Mercy, anti-British sentiment grew in the colonies. After independence was won, Mercy made a final contribution to her country with her book History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution.

Rebecca Motte

Rebecca Motte lived in a mansion outside Charleston, South Carolina. She was forced to surrender her home to the British and move into an old farmhouse. The Patriots wanted to remove the British from South Carolina. Lt. Col. Lee, a patriot leader, came to the conclusion that the only way to remove the British was to burn the house down. Lt. Col. Lee did not want to burn her house because Rebecca's husband had contributed greatly to the cause. After consulting with Rebecca he found that she was glad to help out in any way she could, even though it meant losing her home. Legend has it that she gave the Patriots the arrows used to set it afire.

Penelope Barker

On October 25, 1774, Penelope Barker and fifty-one patriotic ladies living in Edenton, North Carolina signed a Proclamation stating that they had a duty to become involved in the political issues affecting the colonies. The ladies decided to back the boycott of British goods. They stopped drinking tea and wearing clothes that came from Great Britain. This event became known as the Edenton Tea Party.

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Last Updated: Wednesday, 22-Dec-2004 09:42:16 Eastern Standard Time
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