My name is Elizabeth and I have been a member of the merchant class in Boston since 1750. As a woman, I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to run my own shop. I am grateful to my brother James for helping me get started. I decided to return his generosity by helping his daughters, my nieces, learn about business.
Having been born in Scotland and having spent much time in London, I consider myself a loyal subject of Great Britain. Lately, there has been much unrest in Boston regarding taxes and duties imposed by Parliament. As members of the expansive British Empire we are obligated to pay our dues. My brother James and I have done our part to assist British officials in Boston, offering living quarters and legal assistance. I am quite disturbed by the calls for boycott and request for signatures for petitions. These Boston patriots, as they call themselves, seem to have forgotten what it means to be a loyal British subject.
Just recently, my fellow merchants and traders, those who have reaped the benefits of trade with Britain for years, have created nonimportation agreements. How dare they issue a direct attack on the British businesses that helped them become who they are? Do they feel no debt of gratitude to the Crown? I urge any Boston merchant who is reading my words to take a stand against these radical patriots and continue to import items from Britain.