Dbq on Political Women in the American Revolution

DBQ on Political Women in the American Revolution When discussing the American Revolution, it seems like only men were involved in the war. There were the political geniuses who led us to believe war and independence was the way to go, then, there were the brave men who fought in the war and finally, the men who raised support for the war; in other words, the political activists. But, men were not the only people who raised support for the revolution, women did too. To garner support for the war, women did things like boycotting British goods and creating homespun goods. As a civil way to protest, women begun making homespun products. Women all over the thirteen colonies started to make products like clothes with their own hands, as a form of protest against British textiles. According to document three, women, like the Daughters of Liberty, had “spinning marathons” to show their support for the colonies by wearing clothing that was only made by Americans or even better, clothes made by the women themselves. To show support, women from the South (cotton colonies) even sent cotton to the Northerners to provide for their homespun clothing. The women thought that making their own clothing and not wearing any British materials was a way of showing support for the revolution and being anti- British. Another form of peaceful protest by colonial women was to boycott British goods. Women all over the colonies stopped buying British goods like tea, textiles and clothing. The poem in document one, tells the story of the “Female Patriots” and how they would rather part with their tea than have to subject themselves to British rule and pay taxes. Even before the actual Revolution, women signed agreement that said they would not purchase British goods (Documents 2and 4). The women felt like certain rights, like freedom, were taken away from them (and their husbands) so, they would protest British goods. The protests that colonial women engaged in