Spain+(Reasons)

The Society of Patriotic Ladies
== ==

==In 1774, fifty-one members of the Edenton Ladies' Patriotic Guild signed a solemn pledge in support of colonial resistance and to boycott all British tea and cloth. It was extremely rare, if not unheard of, for British women, especially colonial women, who had no legal powers, to petition for political change. At the meeting, Mrs. Penelope Barker reportedly said, “We are signing our names to a document, not hiding ourselves behind costumes like the men in Boston did at their tea party. The British will know who we are.” ==

In this engraving an English artist tried to undermine the credibility of American protests by suggesting that women participating in them were hardly “ladies”, while in reality he immortalized them.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the first organized women’s political actions, **we are pleased to announce the Afternoon Tea Party. ** As we will sip tea brewed from mulberry leaves, we will learn more about how the colonies won the war of the American Revolution. Our guests are people who know the whole history of how we got to where we are today: the stories, the challenges, and the secrets.


 * **Mrs. Mercy Otis Warren, a poet and a historian of the Revolutionary era,** who is writing //The History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution//, will analyze all the costly mistakes of the British: the serious underestimation of the colonists’resistance, delays in communications and supplies, the use of foreign mercenaries, and their extreme overconfidence.
 * **Mlle. Tellez d'Acosta**, the niece of the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force, **Comte de Rochambeau** who came to help the American Continental Army and ensured the Franco-American cooperation. She will give us additional information about the diplomatic isolation of Britain.
 *  **Mrs. Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams**, who like many other women oversaw the family farm during the war, will share her insights of how the colonies built their political unity to ensure the supply of food and weapons, and coordination of regular and guerrilla warfare.
 * **Mrs. Sarah Franklin Bache, the daughter of Benjamin Franklin**, who made a considerable contribution in organizing the fundraising, purchase of materials, and production of shirts for the American Continental Army.
 * **Mrs. Mary Katherine Goddard,** who printed the first official copy of the //Declaration of Independence// and paid the post riders to carry it throughout the colonies, will tell us how the colonial press succeeded in the building of colonists’ psychological separation from Britain and undermining any Loyalist support.
 * **Mrs. Mary Ludwig Hays also known as "Molly Pitcher”** who carried water to American soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778 and even operated her husband's cannon when he fell in battle. She witnessed the great leadership skills of George Washington and courage and determination of ordinary people fighting on and for their home soil.

Timeline of Revolutionary War
**1775** First shots of Concord and Lexington Colonists proved they can fight at Bunker Hill <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Olive Branch Petition rejected by GeorgeIII <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Quebec Battle (Canada stayed British) <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">**1776** Cherokee Indians attacked colonists <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">British captured New York, Washington. <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">American victories at Trenton and Princeton <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Winter quarters at Valley Forge (hardship/despair) <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">**1777** British victory at Brandywine <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Turning point at Saratoga <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">**1778** Indians defeated by George Rogers Clark in the West <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">**1779 – 1781** Loyalists were crushed during the Southern Campaigns <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">**1781** British surrendered at Yorktown <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">**1783** Treaty of Paris granted the independence of colonies

<span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> A great thank you to **George Washington and his hardworking staff** for providing us with the military map and timeline of main events that will help you prepare better for this exclusive event.

<span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> Our party has been made possible through the generosity and kindness of the Boston branch of our society and its president **Mrs. Hawkes, whose husband, Mr. James Hawkes**, was a member of the band of “Indians” and responsible for the brewing of “saltwater tea” (do not forget to check his memoir).

<span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">McNeese, Tim. Revolutionary America 1764 –1789. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2010. <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Sheinkin, Steve. King George. What Was His Problem? New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2005. <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[|http://www.britishbattles.com] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[] <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[]
 * <span style="color: #c176c1; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">References: **