Inspired by the Boston Tea Party, Penelope Barker organized a protest of her own in Edenton, North Carolina. Tired of British taxation without representation, she went door-to-door, inciting women of the town to support a boycott of English tea and other products. Because of her efforts, on October 25, 1774, 51 women in Edenton agreed to stop buying English imports. The women drew up resolutions declaring their intention to boycott English tea and English cloth, which they relied upon. 

The women explained that they were boycotting not only because the men in their lives wanted them to, but because they felt it was their duty as concerned citizens. They signed and mailed the document to England. It was published in newspapers there and all over the colonies, meeting with strong reactions on both sides. A bold demonstration of patriotism, it was the first time that women had taken this kind of political action in American history. And it came at a great risk to Barker’s family: her husband worked for the king.