Published in England on March 25, 1775, this satirical print shows a society of ladies of Edenton, North Carolina, at an event organized by activist Penelope Barker, as they sign a declaration supporting the non-importation of British tea and other goods. Such declarations became common in the years after the British Parliament imposed the Townshend Duties on the American colonies. Enacted in 1767, the Townshend Duties taxed goods like paint, paper, glass, and tea. They generated virulent hostility in the Americas, leading to widespread boycotts of British goods and abstention from European fashions.