During the revolutionary era, American leaders decided to use economic boycotts in their struggle against Britain. The goal of these boycotts was to stop the purchase of imported goods
(which could only be purchased from England). For this to be successful, women would have to increase the production of homespun while finding a way to do without certain products that could not be obtained locally. This gave women's domestic roles political significance. The success of this political tactic rested on the shoulders of women. Their participation in politics, even
in this slight way, produced a change in the way women thought of themselves.
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