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Primary sourceNewspaper article16 January 1775

Edenton Tea Party Resolves and 51 Signatures

16 January 1775

A 1775 London newspaper publication of the Edenton women's resolves and the 51 signatures of the protest Penelope Barker organized.

This newspaper account records the resolves and signatures of the Edenton Tea Party protest Barker organized.

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Scanned newspaper clipping in old black-letter type. At top is a letter extract from North Carolina dated Oct. 27, describing provincial deputies resolving not to drink tea, followed by an Edenton resolution dated Oct. 25, 1774, and a two-column list of signatures of 51 women, including Abigail Charlton, Mary Blount, and Elizabeth Johnston.
Edenton Tea Party Resolves and List of 51 Signatures, published in London newspapers, 16 January 1775.

About this source

What it is

This is a 1775 newspaper clipping published in London, reproducing a letter from North Carolina describing the Edenton women's resolution of October 25, 1774, along with a list of 51 signatures of the women who joined the protest.

Why it matters

This is a contemporary record, published the same year as the event, showing how news of the Edenton women's political action spread across the Atlantic to Britain itself. It documents the names of dozens of women, led by Penelope Barker, who publicly pledged not to drink tea or wear British cloth in support of the American cause.

Look closer

  • Why might British newspapers be interested in publishing news of a protest by colonial women?
  • What does the list of 51 signatures suggest about the scale of organized resistance among women?
  • What tone does the letter writer use when describing the women's action, and why might that matter?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Penelope Barker on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white engraved print of a woman with light hair pulled back, wearing a low-necked 18th-century gown with lace trim and holding a small flower bud. Below the image is a printed caption naming Mrs. Penelope Barker.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Penelope Barker

Exterior of a two-story white clapboard house with weathered wooden siding on its upper gable, two tall red brick chimneys rising above the roofline, multi-pane sash windows, dark shutters, and a porch with white columns and railing against a blue sky with wispy clouds.Artifact

Primary source

Barker House, Edenton

Thomas and Penelope Barker · c. 1782

Printed broadside of the Continental Association, dated Philadelphia, October 20, 1774, with large headline text and columns of dense type. Lists of signatures of delegates from colonies are printed at the bottom. Handwritten marks and notes appear at the lower left.Document

Primary source

Continental Association

First Continental Congress · 20 October 1774

The Historic Tea-Party of Edenton, October 25th, 1774Book

Secondary source

The Historic Tea-Party of Edenton, October 25th, 1774

Richard Dillard · 1898

Engraved print in grey tones of a 1775 satirical scene: a group of fashionably dressed women in tall hairstyles gather around a draped table in an interior with a window and curtains. One woman writes at the table while others look on; a dog and a small seated child figure appear in the foreground, and men stand at the left doorway. Caption reads 'A Society of Patriotic Ladies, at Edenton in North Carolina' with publication details below.Painting

Primary source

A Society of Patriotic Ladies at Edenton in North Carolina

Philip Dawe · 25 March 1775

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