Dr. Sara J. Cornell

The American Revolution (1775–1783) was a pivotal conflict in which thirteen British colonies in North America fought to gain independence from Great Britain. Growing tensions over taxation, political representation, and colonial self-government led many colonists to challenge British authority. What began as protests against imperial policies soon escalated into armed conflict between colonial militias and British forces. Influenced by Enlightenment ideals of liberty and natural rights, the colonies declared independence in 1776 and, after years of war, established the United States as a new nation founded on principles of self-government and freedom.

While the contributions of soldiers and political leaders often dominate historical narratives, women also played a critical role in sustaining the Revolutionary cause. Across the colonies, women engaged in political activism, organized boycotts, raised funds, produced supplies for the Continental Army, managed farms and businesses, served as nurses and camp followers, gathered intelligence, and in some cases even participated directly in combat. In Pennsylvania — from the streets of Philadelphia to the frontier settlements of the Wyoming Valley — women became indispensable to the success of the Revolution.

One of the most significant contributions Pennsylvania women made during the Revolution was supporting the Continental Army through fundraising and supply efforts. Women’s activism helped sustain troops during periods of severe shortages while also demonstrating that women could organize and influence public affairs despite lacking political rights.

The most notable organization was the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, founded in 1780 by Esther De Berdt Reed, wife of Pennsylvania Governor Joseph Reed. The Association became the first female-only patriotic organization in the colonies. Reed encouraged women’s involvement through her influential essay Sentiments of an American Woman, which urged women to support the struggle for independence through sacrifice and service. Working alongside George Washington, the Association raised funds that were ultimately used to purchase cloth and sew clothing for Continental soldiers.

After Reed’s death, leadership passed to Sarah Franklin Bache, daughter of Benjamin Franklin. Under Bache’s direction, the organization reportedly raised more than $300,000 in Continental currency. Rather than distributing money directly, the women used the funds to purchase fabric and produce shirts for soldiers, ensuring that aid reached the army in practical form.

These efforts strengthened the Patriot cause while laying important groundwork for future movements advocating women’s political participation and public leadership.

Pennsylvania women also contributed to the Revolution through literature and propaganda. Poetry became an especially effective tool for shaping public opinion because it was easy to circulate, emotionally persuasive, and accessible to both literate and semi-literate audiences.

Themes commonly found in women’s Revolutionary poetry included:

• Liberty versus tyranny
• Criticism of British rule
• Moral resistance to oppression
• Praise for the Patriot cause

One important literary voice was Hannah Griffitts, a Philadelphia Quaker poet who wrote satirical and political verses during the 1760s and 1770s. Her best-known work, The Female Patriots, encouraged women to reject British imports and support colonial resistance through domestic activism and boycotts. Though Griffitts opposed violence because of her Quaker beliefs, her poetry demonstrated how women could influence Revolutionary politics through ideas and persuasion.

Another notable Pennsylvania writer was Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, who grew up at Graeme Park near Philadelphia. Well educated and deeply involved in colonial intellectual circles, she hosted literary gatherings attended by many prominent thinkers. However, her secret marriage to Loyalist officer Henry Hugh Fergusson led to suspicion during the Revolution, and her property was eventually confiscated. Her story reflects the divided loyalties experienced by many colonial families during the war.

Anna Young Smith also used poetry to support independence. Her patriotic writings promoted liberty and encouraged resistance to British authority at a time when women had few public roles. Though she died at just twenty-four years old, Smith’s work demonstrates the important intellectual and cultural influence women exercised during the Revolution.

Women played a central role in enforcing colonial boycotts of British goods. Because women managed many household purchases—including tea, textiles, and imported consumer items—their participation gave boycotts significant economic power.

Pennsylvania women joined spinning bees, produced homespun cloth, and rejected British tea and manufactured goods in protest against measures such as the Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, and Tea Act. By encouraging homemade alternatives and refusing imported products, women helped weaken dependence on Britain while symbolically affirming colonial resistance.

These everyday acts of defiance demonstrated that the Revolution was not fought solely on battlefields, but also within homes and communities throughout the colonies.

As thousands of men left home to serve in the Continental Army or local militias, women became responsible for maintaining households, farms, and businesses. Their labor ensured the survival of colonial communities and families during wartime.

Women supervised farms, handled finances, managed hired workers and enslaved laborers, and operated taverns, shops, and workshops. In rural areas they planted crops, cared for livestock, and maintained food supplies essential for family survival.

One of the most valuable records of civilian life during the Revolution comes from Elizabeth Drinker, a Philadelphia Quaker who kept a detailed diary from 1758 to 1807. Her writings describe the hardships, political tensions, and moral struggles faced by civilians during wartime, especially among Quakers who opposed violence.

Women known as “camp followers” traveled with both Continental and British armies, providing essential support services that kept soldiers alive and functioning. Many were wives or relatives of soldiers, while others depended on the army for survival.

Their duties included:

• Cooking meals
• Washing and mending clothing
• Carrying water
• Cleaning camps
• Sewing
• Nursing the sick and wounded

Without their labor, armies would have struggled to survive. Camp followers endured harsh conditions, including battlefield violence, disease, poor sanitation, hunger, and brutal winters such as the encampment at Valley Forge.

Mary Geyer represents the many Pennsylvania women who supported the army through daily labor and caregiving at Valley Forge and other military camps.

Although the Revolution lacked a formal nursing corps, women provided essential medical care in hospitals, camps, and on battlefields. Their responsibilities included cleaning wounds, assisting surgeons, washing clothing and bedding, preparing food, and comforting sick and dying soldiers.

Disease claimed more lives during the Revolution than combat itself, making women’s caregiving essential to army survival. The Continental Army officially employed women nurses in military hospitals, though wages were small and working conditions harsh.

Among the most prominent women associated with wartime relief was Martha Washington. During the winter at Valley Forge, she visited wounded soldiers, organized sewing efforts, distributed supplies, and boosted morale through her presence and leadership.

Catherine Littlefield Greene also provided care and support while accompanying her husband during military campaigns. Like many officers’ wives, she helped improve camp conditions and contributed to soldiers’ health and morale.

Yet most Revolutionary nurses were ordinary women whose names were never recorded, especially those working in Philadelphia hospitals that served as major medical centers during the war.

Another important role filled by women during the Revolution was that of sutler. Sutlers were civilian merchants who traveled with the army selling goods not regularly supplied by military authorities.

They sold:

• Tobacco and pipes
• Soap
• Sewing supplies
• Writing paper
• Clothing
• Bread, cheese, and dried meat

By filling supply shortages and improving soldiers’ daily living conditions, sutlers helped sustain army life and maintained a vital connection between soldiers and civilian society.

Women also played significant roles as spies and intelligence gatherers during the Revolution. Because women were often underestimated and less likely to be searched, they could move messages and gather information with relative freedom.

One of the best-known Pennsylvania spies was Lydia Darragh, a Philadelphia Quaker whose home was occupied by British officers in 1777. Pretending to sleep during secret meetings, she overheard plans for a surprise attack against Washington’s forces. Using an errand as cover, she crossed British lines and warned the Continental Army, helping prepare American troops for the assault.

Deborah Franklin managed family and political affairs in Philadelphia while Benjamin Franklin served abroad. Through correspondence and communication networks, she helped relay information during the early Revolutionary period.

Not all female spies supported independence. Ann Bates, a Philadelphia schoolteacher loyal to Britain, disguised herself as a peddler to enter Patriot camps and gather military intelligence. Her reports on troop strength and artillery provided valuable information to British commanders.

Similarly, Peggy Shippen Arnold became involved in British espionage through her marriage to Benedict Arnold. Connected to British intelligence officer John André, she helped transmit coded communications related to Arnold’s attempted betrayal of West Point.

Although women were officially barred from military service, some nevertheless participated directly in combat during the Revolution.

Margaret Corbin, born in Pennsylvania, accompanied her husband with the Continental Army. During the 1776 Battle of Fort Washington, after her husband was killed operating a cannon, Corbin took his place and continued firing until she was severely wounded. She later became the first woman in American history to receive a military pension for military service.

Another legendary figure was Mary Ludwig Hays, often associated with Pennsylvania. During the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, she carried water to exhausted soldiers and cooling cannons, earning the nickname “Molly Pitcher.” When her husband collapsed during battle, she reportedly took over his position at the cannon and continued firing under enemy attack.

The history of the American Revolution cannot be fully understood without recognizing the contributions of Pennsylvania women. They were not passive observers of history but active participants who sustained families, communities, and armies during one of the most transformative periods in American history.

Through fundraising, political activism, poetry, boycotts, nursing, intelligence work, and even combat, women demonstrated resilience, courage, and dedication to the cause of liberty. Figures such as Esther De Berdt Reed, Hannah Griffitts, Lydia Darragh, Margaret Corbin, and countless unnamed women reveal that the struggle for independence depended upon the labor and sacrifice of ordinary people as much as famous generals and statesmen.

Their contributions remind us that the fight for freedom extended far beyond the battlefield. In homes, hospitals, camps, and communities throughout Pennsylvania, women helped shape the course of the American Revolution and left a legacy that deserves lasting recognition.