Scholars point to the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention as the beginning of the Woman's Suffrage movement.
But what about what happened in North Carolina in 1774?
Penelope Barker invited her friends to a tea party at her home in Edenton as a protest to the British tax on tea.
They made a very public declaration that is cited as the first time in American History that women have spoken out about public policy.
Penelope Barker 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."
If they had been born 100 years later, these women may have been leaders in the fight for woman suffrage.
The title of this exhibit is a take-off of Penelope's words and suitable to describe the suffragists who used every tool they could to make their voices heard: literature, debates, songs, dance, stage and silent film, and, of course, political theater in the form of protests and parades.
This is their story.
But what about what happened in North Carolina in 1774?
Penelope Barker invited her friends to a tea party at her home in Edenton as a protest to the British tax on tea.
They made a very public declaration that is cited as the first time in American History that women have spoken out about public policy.
Penelope Barker 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."
If they had been born 100 years later, these women may have been leaders in the fight for woman suffrage.
The title of this exhibit is a take-off of Penelope's words and suitable to describe the suffragists who used every tool they could to make their voices heard: literature, debates, songs, dance, stage and silent film, and, of course, political theater in the form of protests and parades.
This is their story.
Though the Latimer House is closed due to COVID-19, the exhibit will continue to be on display through September. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and news about our reopening.
