Within Our Power: The Story of the Edenton Ladies' Tea Party

In 1774, many people in thirteen of Great Britain’s North American colonies were angry. They had been ordered to pay money―taxes―to the government. However, they had no governmental representatives in faraway England to say how they wanted their money spent. The colonists rallied around the cry “Taxation Without Representation.” They boycotted tea, cloth, and other British products. Fearing punishment for protesting the unfair practice, some disguised themselves to avoid recognition, specifically when dumping tea in a harbor. Others wrote about it but hid their identity by using an alias.

A group of fifty-one women in Edenton, North Carolina, strongly opposed taxation without representation. At that time, women could not serve in the government, nor were they permitted to vote. But the Edenton ladies knew that their beliefs mattered. They decided they would make a difference. Like others, they would boycott British products. Unlike others, they shunned anonymity.

Using a “tea party” of a different sort, Edenton’s courageous women powerfully expressed their belief in a very public way. One that spread their belief and commitment not only throughout the North American colonies, but also across the Atlantic Ocean. The Edenton ladies’ courage still resonates today. They show us that people can join together and create a strong voice that stands firm against injustice.

Sibert Medal winner Sally M. Walker Secrets of a Civil War Submarine is the author of more than 60 nonfiction books. Sinking the Sultana received Virginia’s Jefferson Cup Award for history. Written in Bone was a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award finalist. Champion: The Comeback Tale of the American Chestnut was an Orbis Pictus Honor Book. Walker’s many other awards include ALA Notables, Orbis Pictus Honor Book, and NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book. A number of her books have been finalists on the Master List for many states’ Young Reader Awards. Walker and Jonathan D. Voss previously collaborated on Winnie: The True Story of the Bear that Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh, which won Arizona’s Grand Canyon Reader Award and New York’s Charlotte Award.

I love art, music, and beautiful things. I’ve always been hugely inspired by others who bring this beauty to the world around us. Whether it’s well crafted words in a book or a painting in a gallery, there is something stirring about it all. I love the work of early illustrators like Arther Rackham, N. C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, and Frank Schoonover. When I tell a story with pictures I want something to be felt. If an image falls flat, I haven’t done my job well. When I illustrate a book, I approach it as though I’m moving a camera around the action. I get to decide where to freeze the frame. It’s a big responsibility to tell a story well. I haven’t figured it all out yet, but I’m loving the journey. Maybe one day, when I grow up, I’ll be good at it. But, no matter where I end up, as I go, I hope that joy and pleasure are found in the words I write and the pictures I make. If you’d like to know more about me and the work I do, visit me at www.jonathandvoss.com.