Abby Connolly
While thousands of incredibly brave men fought in the country’s biggest wars, many women also made significant contributions that don’t get nearly enough credit.
For instance, have you ever heard of Sarah Bradlee Fulton?
Sarah was known as the “Mother of the Boston Tea Party” and was a significant figure during the Revolutionary War.
Sarah was born in the Boston area of Massachusetts in 1740. She was passionate about patriotism from a young age. Sarah married John Fulton in 1762 and began participating in boycotts and protests against the British as she got older.
Sarah became an active member and leader of the Daughters of Liberty, a female association full of women who were passionate about fighting for independence and liberty.
With the group, she helped plan the iconic Boston Tea Party, the protest against the British taxes on tea where demonstrators threw chests of tea into the Boston Harbor in 1773.
As some may know, some of the men who participated in the Boston Tea Party were disguised as Native Americans during the protest to hide their true identities. That was actually Sarah’s idea, and she helped the men dress in Native American headdresses, clothing, and face paint.
Not only that, but Sarah discreetly waited for the disguised men to return home so she could help them remove and dispose of their disguises and take the red paint off their faces in order to avoid getting caught.
Sarah’s contributions to the war did not stop there. Two years later, Sarah rallied a group of women to bring medical aid and support to American soldiers in the war. They traveled to deliver medical supplies and other remedies for them.
In 1776, John was asked to deliver a message to General George Washington from Major John Brooks, but Sarah decided to do it. She bravely crossed enemy lines to deliver the message to George Washington near the Charleston waterfront. He later went to her home to thank her personally.
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