Will Riot for Food

"You must know that there is a great Scarcity of Sugar and Coffe, articles which the Female part of the State are very loth to give up, expecially whilst they consider the Scarcity occasioned by the merchants having secreted a large Quantity...it was rumoured that an eminent, wealthy, stingy Merchant who is a Batchelor had a Hogshead of Coffe in his Store which he refused to sell to the committee under 6 Shillings per pound. A Number of Females some say a hundred, some say more assembled with a cart and trucks, marched down to the Ware House and demanded the Keys,  which he refused to deliver, upon which one of them seazd him by his Neck and tossd him into the cart upon his finding no Quarter he delivered the Keys, when they tipd up the cart and discharged him, then opend the Warehouse, Hoisted out the Coffe themselves, put it into trucks and drove off...A large concourse of Men stood amazd silent spectators of the whole transaction." [Smith, pp. 109]

Abigail Adams was writing to her husband John about an incident that would later be referred to as the Coffee Riots. It was July 24, 1777 and Thomas Boylston, a Boston merchant, was trying to drive up the prices of coffee and sugar by keeping them off the market. With their men off to war or otherwise working toward independence from England, women were taking on the work left behind managing businesses and farms and families without the support of husbands, brothers, or fathers. And they were trying to manage during a time of repeated food shortages.

On that hot July day Boston women fought their own battle, demanding that Boylston, up until then a noted patriot, charge a reasonable price for his coffee. There were rumors the woman "spanked" Boylston, which I kind of hope they did. And it was suggested the woman also took Boylston's tea to distribute to poorer families in the North End. 

Food Riots: A Snapshot

Food shortages were common during the revolutionary period as merchants hoarded and overcharged for common goods like sugar, tea, flour, and coffee. Between 1776 and 1779 'food riots' occurred in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Maryland. Through these protests against high prices and monopolization, lower and middling class people were pushing back against the more prosperous members of their community, acting in ways they perceived as in line with the powers and processes available to all Englishmen.

...we are determined to foment a rebellion.

Women would find particular satisfaction in participating in, and often leading, food riots. As men left to serve in the army, women were left to keep families fed, farms producing, and businesses profitable. And women were confident in doing so. They ran taverns and inns, they were storekeepers and printers, they produced and sold their own goods. They knew quite clearly how commerce worked.

Through food riots women not only fought back against financial insecurity, they were able to participate in a form of political protest, an alternative to traditional political activities like voting or serving in local governments, things women were barred from doing. Not only were they capable of tossing merchants in a cart to get their tea, as they did with Thomaa Boylston, they also recognized the power they held in threatening to persuade their husbands and sons to abandon the war effort if their demands were not met. 

Food Riots as Patriotism

Food riots would come to be seen as an act of patriotism akin to joining the Continental army. At a time when all were making sacrifices for the cause, merchants were called upon to sacrifice their profits. While it would be easy to raise prices to take advantage of shortfalls caused by nonimportation, doing so was perceived as unpatriotic. Food rioters became arbiters of patriotism as they targeted retailers who tried to capitalize on the colonies' dire economic condition.

Revolutionary

During the revolutionary years, women took part in food riots in greater numbers than they had previously. According to Abigail Adams, men "stood amazd silent Spectators" as Boston women waged their protest. They marched, they confiscated goods, they held people accountable, and in the distribution of the goods they confiscated, they took care of others. They were political actors...revolutionary even.

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Additional reading:

The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman "Not Apt to be Intimidated" - John L. Smith, Jr.

A Woman's Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution - Rosemarie Zagarri