The American Revolutionary Period was not one that had yet provided women the opportunities and the sense of equality afforded to them in the wake of the suffrage and feminist movements. Following a recognition of this and the ways in which women remained restricted in their potential to contribute, Esther DeBerdt Reed argued that women should at least equal men in love for the public good.

Despite recognizing the limitations that American women continued to face, she suggested numerous ways in which women could still contribute to the Patriot cause. The majority of these suggestions involved duties already prescribed to American women under the patriarchal system in place: to care for their children, to show gratitude for the men fighting in the war, and to take other symbolic stands of patriotism in support of the cause. The latter included pledging to stop drinking tea and wearing clothing with materials produced in Britain, thereby sacrificing certain luxuries in order to symbolically stand with the men fighting for their country.

The contributions suggested by the women of Edenton, North Carolina largely mimicked those outlined by Reed. The women entered formal pledges to refrain from consuming tea and purchasing any goods imported from Britain, replacing them with those produced domestically. The women at times went even further, such as in engaging in protest through the signing of petitions against the consumption of British goods and tea in particular. The political cartoon entitled “A Society of Patriotic Ladies” was fundamentally critical of women like Reed and those that had taken a stand in Edenton, as it portrayed them as women of poor appearance, moral character, and parenting skills. The neglect of children, which American women at the time were entrusted to care for and protect, is evident through the portrayal of the women ignoring the young child being attacked by a dog. The women’s ugliness as portrayed is also self-evident, and the conveyed environment demonstrates several instances of immorality via consumption and a public display of sexual conduct.

These three sources depict numerous realities regarding the political and gender opinions held during Revolutionary America. First and foremost, the strict societal limitations imposed on American women are apparent, as the women themselves recognized the very few ways in which they were able to contribute to the war effort. The comic goes even further to show the normalcy of sexist attitudes and the acceptability of attacking women in such a malicious and discriminatory manner. From a political perspective, these sources showcase the importance of trade and the view that a boycott represents one of the most significant manner in which women were able to harm the British. The cartoon again goes beyond this to highlight the fact that American society was not yet comfortable with the idea of women involving themselves in political issues, as the author of the cartoon makes a clear statement against the prospect through his portrayal of the women.