"The most valuable product that the colonists normally imported from the mother country was cloth, and when the Patriots extended their boycott to textiles, they created another opportunity for American women. It was up to them to spin the thread (and in some cases weave the yarn) that would replace the fabric once imported from Britain."-Unruly Americans in the RevolutionI find it incredibly fascinating that we emphasize tea as playing a big role in the revolution when, in actuality (Lord, I love that phrase), the bigger part was that the American colonies were kept in a state of economic adolescence.
However, the tea must come into play because it symbolizes the whole "Being British" thing. It's a pointed glance at what we're rebelling against. Simply to say that economic adolescence is just kind of making the whole revolution thing into a simplistic mess of whiny colonists.
While I do think that we emphasize tea a bit too much, it does play a large part in the revolution. On the other hand, if we forget the other factors, the Boston Tea Party just becomes a bunch of people playing Indian and throwing an expensive hissy fit.
Yeah, I just guess, food for thought for the fabric of America's existence.
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