North Carolina

The North Carolina tapestry panel illustrates the Edenton Tea Party, a significant moment early in the Revolutionary movement.

The panel depicts a group of women gathered outside the Chowan County Courthouse in 1774 debating and discussing a document symbolizing their political resolve. The event is considered one of the earliest recorded instances of organized political actions by women in the American colonies.

The Edenton Tea Party was organized by Penelope Barker and involved 51 women who signed a resolution to boycott British goods including tea and textiles. This act was in protest of the Tea Act of 1773 and other oppressive measures imposed by the British Crown. The women pledged their support for the resolutions passed by the North Carolina Provincial Congress, which aimed to resist British taxation without representation

The resolution, known as the "Edenton Resolves," declared the women's commitment to abstain from British imports until unjust laws were repealed. It emphasized their duty to protect the "safety and happiness" of their county and demonstrated their solidarity with broader colonial resistance efforts.

While ridiculed in England through satirical cartoons, it was celebrated in the colonies as an act of patriotism. These women not only supported the revolutionary cause but placed themselves at great risk by publicly asserting their political agency.