The Daughters of Liberty was known as the formal female association that was formed in 1765 to protest the Stamp Act, and later the Townshend Acts; it was a general term for women who identified themselves as fighting for liberty during the American Revolution. âÂÂDaughters of Libertyâ could also be used colloquially to refer to women, any women who partook in revolutionary actions during the American Revolution. Those actions included but were not limited to boycotts, economic ventures, combat, or espionage.
The main task of the Daughters of Liberty was to protest the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts through aiding the Sons of Liberty in boycotts and support movements prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. The Daughters of Liberty participated in spinning bees, helping to produce homespun cloth for colonists to wear instead of British textiles. Women were also used as the enforcers of these movements because they were the ones responsible for purchasing goods for their households. They saw it as their duty to make sure that fellow Patriots were staying true to their word about boycotting British goods. Women formed âÂÂAssociations,â a document in which they would agree and sign, promising not to use boycotted British goods. In some states, like South Carolina, women made announcements in newspapers informing the public that they would try to get the support of the boycott from the mistress of every house.
The Daughters of Liberty are also well known for their boycott of British tea after the Tea Act was passed and the British East India Company was given a virtual monopoly on colonial tea. They began drinking what was later known as "liberty tea." Leaves from raspberries or New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) were commonly used as tea substitutes so people could still enjoy tea while refusing to buy goods imported through Britain.
Chapters of the Daughters of Liberty throughout the colonies participated in the war effort by melting down metal for bullets and helping to sew soldiersâ uniforms. The famed leader of the Sons of Liberty, Samuel Adams, is reported as saying, "With ladies on our side, we can make every Tory tremble."
<u>In Combat</u>
Though they may not have been formal members of Daughters of Liberty, women who fought for the United States during the War for Independence can be considered âÂÂDaughters of Liberty.â Women such as Margaret Corbin and Anna Maria Lane enlisted under their own names and fought alongside their husbands in battle. They would wear menâÂÂs uniforms but made no effort to hide their sex. Corbin was wounded in battle and later interred at West Point, and Lane would receive a pension from the state of Virginia for her service during the war.
Some women, like Deborah Sampson Gannett, enlisted under menâÂÂs names and hid their sex and gender. However, some would be discovered after being wounded in combat.
Women on the front lines would provide water for soldiers and cool the guns. The âÂÂMolly Pitcherâ likely originates from the Battle of Monmouth, where Mary Hayes was pressed into service to cool the artillery guns.
Women also served as nurses, chefs, and laundry maids.
<u>At Home</u>
While some women fought alongside men during the war, many more stayed at home while their husbands or fathers fought. The women who stayed at home were just as vital to the Independence movement as they needed to maintain farms or shops. They took over the finances, farming, and other actions that men would have normally performed.
When the war was over, and their husbands or fathers came back, some of these women were unwilling to transition back into the role of housewife after being the head of the house. Some men would use âÂÂDaughter of Libertyâ in a derogatory way, in questioning why they werenâÂÂt married, or remarried if widowed.