Mabel S. and Wig Maker (Paraphrase)

Women who were 21 and older and were not under men (if they were widows or they were unmarried and declared independence from their fathers) could have the same rights as men, except for voting. It was called Fem sol status. They could go to court, sue, be sued, and press charges, but they couldn’t be a Justice or on the Jury. Generally only men owned shops, but women who had Fem sol status could too. Important women who didn’t like the laws their husbands in the government passed, or those who supported the revolution, would wear homespun dresses or day wear to really fancy, formal balls as protest instead of importing new silk from England. It was called The Homespun Ball, or The Non-Importation Act. These women didn’t like the importation and tax laws, and they wanted independence from England. They also supported the revolution.