The Daughters of Liberty was the formal female association that was formed in 1765 to protest the Stamp Act, and later the Townshend Acts, and was a general term for women who identified themselves as fighting for liberty during the American Revolution. The organization was comprised solely of women who sought to demonstrate their loyalty to the revolutionary cause by boycotting British goods and making their own. Martha Washington, wife of George Washington, was one of the most prominent Daughters of Liberty.
Not only were women at the forefront of efforts to impose boycotts on British goods, they also spearheaded domestic production efforts. Because most textiles in the colonies were imported from Britain, weaving homespun cloth became an act of political rebellion. The Daughters of Liberty made public demonstrations of their spinning, such as the one at Newport, Rhode Island, where 92 women gathered in a meeting-house and produced 170 skeins of yarn.
Women also served the American Revolutionary War in many important ways, sewing uniforms and blankets for the soldiers, making bullets, and raising funds for the war effort. Many women who were left home to tend their husband’s business affairs and property began to relish the extra responsibility and to view themselves as successful managers, thereby widening the scope of what was considered “women’s work.” Some women organized relief efforts to gather much-needed supplies for the soldiers.