In an attempt to raise funds after the Seven Years War the English decided to impose new taxes on the colonists in order to help pay off the debt that occurred because of the war. Since these taxes, such as the Stamp Act, were never approved by the local councils in the colonies, the colonists did not believe that they had to pay them. And the first groups of colonial resistance, such as the Sons of Liberty, were formed. In the spirit of resistance and defiance to these acts, women who lived in the colonies felt that they should do something in order to help the cause. Even in this day and age women are still considered second class citizens and as it is said in Nation of Nations ” While the new political activism of some American women often amused male leaders of the resistance, it inspired the scorn of some partisans of British authority”(p.139). A political cartoon titled “The Women of Edenton” was published by a British cartoonist in North Carolina and was intended to poke fun at this new found sense of participation in the colonial women. The idea that the American colonies had the audacity to stand up to the rule of the British Empire was considered an insult to the British people, and through the act of political cartoons the British showed how they felt. American women who participated in political activism were not only promiscuous and drunk, but they also forgot their role in society, which was running the household and family, as shown in the cartoon “Women of Edenton.”
The most obvious act seen in the cartoon is that the women in the picture are drinking large amounts of alcohol. To begin with the young lady on the far right of the cartoon, she looks as if she is in a drunken daze, which is probably true considering the number of empty alcohol containers lying next to her. Another example of being drunk is seen in the background of the cartoon. By the window, there are two women who are obviously drinking, but is what they are drinking out of that the cartoonist is making fun of. The woman is not only drinking but she is drinking out of what seems to be an enormous punch bowl. One more example of drinking is in the far left where the women are pouring huge vats of alcohol into what seem like huge glasses.
The cartoonist also implied that these women were loose in nature. The prime example is the woman in the middle who is busy trying to sign the document, but at the same time the only man in the picture is very close to her and is trying to kiss her and if you notice his hands they are in a most inappropriate place. The cartoonist also placed a woman in the foreground that is bending over facing away from us, trying to sign the document. This of course is considered a very unlady-like stance and should not be done in public.
The final point the cartoonist is trying to make is that women who participate in politics forget about their main purpose in life which is taking care of the home and children. As you can see in the cartoon all the women are taken up with other events and forget about the child who is sitting on the floor by the table. The child is sitting on the floor with a plate of food which is falling over, but no one seems to care about the unhygienic conditions. He is also underneath the table with the dog that is licking the child and urinating at the same time. At this point of time, dogs were considered very unsanitary especially around children; however in this cartoon no one seems to care because the women are preoccupied with politics instead of taking care of the household.
The British at this time were annoyed with the political upheavals in America. And in this political cartoon the cartoonists depicted their aggravation towards American women who were included in politics. The British did not believe a woman’s place was anywhere other than in charge of the household, they did not think that women were capable of taking part in politics and therefore thought that women that were involved in politics were immoral and loose and neglected their wifely duties. They did not think that a woman could both take care of the household and take part in politics. “The Women of Edenton” was a huge mockery of the politically active women in America.
