Ep. 3 Penelope Barker "The Signature Rebellion"

Before America declared its independence, one woman dared to ask a simple question: What if women stood together?

As unrest spreads across the colonies and British rule grows increasingly oppressive, Penelope Barker watches the conflict draw closer to home. While others wonder whether their voices matter, she begins to believe that lasting change may not always begin on the battlefield. Gathering a circle of women in Edenton, North Carolina, Penelope boldly explores an idea that seems almost unthinkable—that ordinary women, united by conviction and faith, might help shape the future of a nation.

Set against the growing tensions leading to the American Revolution, Penelope Barker: The Signature Rebellion is a gripping cinematic audio drama of courage, conviction, and the power of stepping forward when history calls. What begins as one woman's willingness to ask, "What can we do?" becomes a moment that would forever change the role of women in America's fight for liberty and lead to the first female-led political protest in American history.

Featuring acclaimed voice talent including Rachel Hendrix (October Baby) as Abigail Adams, Micah Lynn Hanson (Disciples in the Moonlight, Divine Influencer) as Penelope Barker, Jonathan Stoddard (Crossroad Springs, Finding Faith) as John Adams, Allison Bailey (Wicked on Broadway) as Agent 355, Ryan O'Quinn (Paul's Promise, Scrooge) as Governor Tryon, Julia Reilly (County Rescue, A Little Women's Christmas) as Rebecca Bonfield, and Shari Rigby (October Baby, Overcomer) as Mary Blount.

Created with immersive Dolby® Atmos sound design, a sweeping original orchestral score, and cinematic storytelling, Defiant Ones transports listeners into the heart of the American Revolution like never before.

Before America was born, women were already fighting for her.

Created by Beautifully Flawed Productions in partnership with The Washington Times, the Tea Party Patriots Foundation, and The Women In My World.

Premiering on The Washington Times.

Transcript

Speaker 1  0:30  
The fifth of March, 1770 My dearest John, it is a cold evening here in Boston. The city is restless beneath the crown. British soldiers continue to walk the streets, red coats where merchants once stood. Their muskets keep the peace, they say. But peace grows thin when an army lives among the people it governs. Taxes, protests, boycotts, small sparks waiting for the right wind, but it seems revolutions rarely begin with armies. They begin with information.

Speaker 2  1:09  
This is a time darkness, deep darkness that surrounds us.

Speaker 3  1:25  
Bold men gather where liberty trembles, oppression presses heavy on the people. Soldiers stand ready beneath the crown. Tension fills the winter air. On this night, the people cry for justice. None can say what none will bring. The first letters they spell out B O S T O N Boston. There is more. Troops stand restless in the square. Rage gathers in the crowd. Orders will soon be given. Once muskets fire, there is no recall. Peace will not hold tonight. Shall the people remember this day? T R O O P S, Boston Troops. This must reach the courier at once. I dare not think what will follow if it does not. Pardon me. Excuse me.

Speaker 4  2:25  
Watch yourself, madam.

Speaker 3  2:31  
Sir, I have been looking for you.

Speaker 5  2:33  
Me? Then who are you?

Speaker 3  2:36  
You may wish to note page three, entry 50-5355. Let us believe. spilled in Boston. This will not remain contained. Carry word south to Virginia, then beyond. The cause must be unified.

Speaker 6  2:52  
Stand back.

Speaker 4  3:02  
They shot him on King Street. The soldiers have fired.

Speaker 3  3:05  
Liberty has a dreadful way of announcing herself, and not quietly.

Speaker 1  3:12  
What began as unrest in the streets of Boston will, I fear, be remembered as a massacre. Sincerely. Abigail Adams. A

Speaker 7  3:30  
finely crafted phaeton with glistening black lacquer and buttery soft leather seats. Exquisite indeed, Walton.

Speaker 8  3:38  
She's the finest in Edenton, North Carolina. You want me to rig her up for you, mrs. Barker?

Speaker 7  3:43  
Not today. If you could deliver it sometime in the next few days.

Speaker 8  3:47  
Yes, ma'am. I'm sure this will be something mr. Bark will greatly appreciate upon his return.

Speaker 7  3:53  
He's been abroad for so long now; I can scarcely remember what it was like to have him under this roof. Nine years is a long time for a wife to sacrifice her husband to the cause.

Speaker 5  4:06  
If anyone can bear up under these tragedies, it's you, Penelope.

Speaker 7  4:10  
Dear husband, your compliment does not ease my grief. Eight of nine children have passed. I've been widowed twice.

Speaker 5  4:19  
I know, darling. I know, but the good Lord never gives us more than we can handle. I'm sorry. The governor says I must go to England, which means the king says I must go. I have no choice.

Speaker 7  4:35  
Thomas, when does a man have a choice of his own destiny? Under King George, you'll be in your grave before you can choose. For how long will you be going?

Speaker 5  4:50  
Four years, less if the agreements we negotiate are well received. Darling, you did a magnificent job managing your estates. I know our interests will be in good hands with you.

Speaker 7  5:08  
It scarcely seems possible that it has been nine years since I last saw Thomas.

Speaker 9  5:13  
mrs. Barker, good morning,

Speaker 7  5:16  
Governor Tryon.

Speaker 9  5:17  
I wanted to ask you, mrs. Barker, has that bill of lading for your indigo been found yet?

Speaker 7  5:22  
No, the shipping company is still looking for

Speaker 9  5:24  
it. Well, I could happily be of assistance.

Speaker 7  5:27  
No, thank you, Governor. It will turn up. mr. Turner is normally well-organized wharf manager.

Speaker 9  5:33  
My, my, mrs. Barker, you always present quite the challenge. A woman as beautiful as you should not go to waste.

Speaker 7  5:43  
I'm sure my indigo will be in my warehouse soon.

Speaker 10  5:46  
Surely a man must defend himself when set upon by a mob. mr.

Speaker 11  5:50  
Carter, sir, even a lawyer such as yourself could understand the British fired upon unarmed bed.

Speaker 10  5:56  
Yes, but mr. Sutton, that is only because they were driven to it. The mob would have torn him to pieces.

Speaker 11  6:03  
Good morning, mrs. Barker.

Speaker 7  6:04  
Good morning, mr. Sutton. mr. Carter, pleased to see you both.

Speaker 10  6:08  
You as well, mrs. Barker.

Speaker 11  6:10  
Doveter,

Speaker 9  6:11  
gentlemen.

Speaker 7  6:13  
You're discussing the Boston massacre verdict.

Speaker 11  6:15  
Subverdict. John Adams bent the knee to the throne.

Speaker 10  6:19  
Well, a mob of angry men can be as dangerous as any musket.

Speaker 7  6:23  
That was what the soldiers feared, and what Adams persuaded the jury to see.

Speaker 4  6:31  
Men, men, facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. Men, please, if I may, despite how you may feel about the British and your desire to be independent of them, a just society must protect even its enemies under the law, I maintain that defending Captain Preston and the other British soldiers is one of the best pieces of service I can render to my country.

Speaker 11  7:14  
Samuel Adams and Paul Revere are calling it a massacre. Rebels, men like Adams, Revere, and that other fool Hancock will embroil us in a civil war.

Speaker 7  7:26  
With all due respect, Governor, British troops occupy Boston as if the town were foreign soil, not a colony of the crown.

Speaker 10  7:33  
Hard feelings will be inevitable, as will violence. Mark my words. In

Speaker 3  7:42  
1770, we spoke of liberty in whispers. By 1773, the whole continent speaks.

Speaker 12  7:51  
Agent 355, you came.

Speaker 3  7:54  
You may call me Catherine.

Speaker 12  7:56  
Is that your name?

Speaker 3  7:58  
For today, it is. Your message sounded urgent.

Speaker 12  8:01  
Parliament has passed the Tea Act.

Speaker 3  8:04  
GT for the colonies, a gift if one forgets the tax upon it.

Speaker 12  8:09  
London believes we will welcome it. Merchants ruined, taxes accepted, the crown triumphant. Boston will not accept it. Neither New York nor Philadelphia. A rebellion in one colony is easily crushed,

Speaker 3  8:23  
which is why the others must arise.

Speaker 12  8:25  
Precisely, that is why you must go south to North Carolina, the port of Edenton, to be exact.

Speaker 3  8:32  
An unlikely place for rebellion,

Speaker 12  8:35  
which is why London ignores it.

Speaker 7  8:43  
Mary, Rebecca, I'm sorry I'm late. Think

Speaker 2  8:46  
nothing of it, Penelope.

Speaker 7  8:51  
Rebecca, why do you look so somber? Read this. T acts raise ire of the colonies. Citizens met at Independence Hall and demanded the resignation of all English tea agents. Merchants were threatened with boycotts if they accepted the tea. East India ships have been warned not to enter the harbor. We're sliding toward war. I've tried to warn Thomas of this. How is it that you and he have such contrary views on the colonies? Because something deeper than an ocean has always separated us, Rebecca. He has been caught more than 12 years negotiating the treacherous ground of tariffs and taxes on behalf of the colonies. He has won small battles by surrendering wars.

Speaker 2  9:43  
You have quite strong feelings about this.

Speaker 7  9:45  
I do, Mary. They have no right to tax the colonies, yet they behave as though heaven itself had granted them authority. It's intolerable.

Speaker 2  9:54  
We can't solve taxation without representation today, or negotiate a peace treaty. Let's focus on Samuel's birthday party. That we can affect. You're right. He has turned

Speaker 7  10:10  
70, for goodness sakes. We'll make it a party to remember. It is

Speaker 8  10:15  
what us Edenton ladies are known for: ostentatious soirées.

Speaker 7  10:30  
Samuel, you scared me.

Speaker 10  10:32  
My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you.

Speaker 7  10:37  
Happy birthday, Samuel. What is this? 20-nine.

Speaker 10  10:40  
Ah, that was a fine year. Yeah, I would repeat that one. I opened my practice then. Hmm.

Speaker 7  10:49  
I cannot recall the last time I saw so many white wigs in one place.

Speaker 10  10:53  
I know, such buffoonery. Your war is coming, Penelope.

Speaker 7  11:00  
What makes you so sure? Is it because of what happened in Boston? I do envy the many ardent patriots of Massachusetts.

Speaker 10  11:09  
No, not Boston alone, but Philadelphia and Charleston. Parliament refuses to see us as free-born subjects, and we in turn grow less willing to think of ourselves as anything but. Generations have been born upon this soil. Our king is a stranger. Parliament, little more than a band of grasping tax collectors. Now, have you heard from Thomas?

Speaker 7  11:36  
Yes, he still writes often.

Speaker 10  11:39  
It's ridiculous that the king has not released him to return home after all these years.

Speaker 7  11:45  
I fear that's partly my fault. I have rejected the governor's attentions repeatedly.

Speaker 10  11:53  
Tryon does not bear refusal kindly. The more you cross him, the more he seeks occasion to vex you, like that fine on your warehouse.

Speaker 7  12:04  
Which one? He bedevils me at every turn. Yet, I have learned his methods, and I answer them in kind. Where he applies pressure, I speak gently with a few gold crowns.

Speaker 10  12:17  
Giving the governor a taste of his own methods. Well played, Penelope. I confess there are days when I fear for this country of ours. England could sweep us aside without much trouble. And then I think of you, a woman with more steel in her spine than many a Hessian soldier.

Speaker 7  12:43  
You compare me to a Hessian. Ay,

Speaker 10  12:47  
and if the British possess any wisdom at all, they'll come to fear this land for the strength of its women.

Speaker 7  13:02  
Harlem. Parliament has moved against Massachusetts. British warships crowd the harbor at Boston, closing it to all commerce. Soldiers arrive from England; their numbers grow weakly. Many stay in private homes. Massachusetts legislature has been dissolved. The news girls are trembling by the day.

Speaker 9  13:26  
Good afternoon, Penelope.

Speaker 7  13:28  
Governor, this is unexpected.

Speaker 9  13:32  
Forgive the intrusion. Your maid Paget showed me to the library, but I happened to see you here.

Speaker 7  13:39  
Oh, madam, I beg your pardon. Oh, it's quite all right, Paget. You have done nothing wrong. Can I bring you something? The governor won't be staying. Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 9  13:49  
Why? Not going to offer me a spot of tea while we discuss things?

Speaker 7  13:53  
No. I've lost my taste for English tea. It tastes like salt water.

Speaker 9  14:00  
Your husband left behind a lovely young lady, yet he will surely return to find a woman of remarkable grace.

Speaker 7  14:07  
That may be so. I was 30-three when Thomas departed, and I am six and 40 now. Governor, again, what is it that brings you here?

Speaker 9  14:18  
mrs. Tryon left for England this week, she has no intention of returning to this miserable, mosquito-ridden swamp. I, however, must endure two more months.

Speaker 7  14:29  
I regret to hear

Speaker 9  14:33  
it. I should very much enjoy your company in her absence. It may well be our last opportunity,

Speaker 7  14:40  
Governor. That is highly improper. I do not. You and

Speaker 9  14:44  
I must bring this contest to its end. You have taken far too much of my pride. If I cannot have your company, it seems only fair that I take something of yours.

Speaker 7  14:54  
To what end?

Speaker 9  14:57  
My dear. I play until my opponent cries quarter. Now that my time here grows short, I intend to press the matter. mrs.

Speaker 7  15:23  
Parker, Paget, what is the matter? Something is amiss at the stables. Go to the kitchen. Wake no one. Bolt the back door. And whatever you hear, you are not to come outside. Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 4  15:53  
Easy, easy, quiet, beast.

Speaker 7  15:56  
You're far from your quarters, soldiers.

Speaker 13  15:59  
Didn't know the horses answered to a lady. My name is mrs. Penelope Barker, and they answer to the one who holds the reins. My name is Captain Ross. By orders of the Crown, these horses are requisitioned. So she has a sword. Then His Majesty should have come himself. They are not the crowns to take. Everything in the colonies belongs to His Majesty,

Speaker 14  16:26  
mrs. Barker. Please

Speaker 7  16:30  
touch them again, Captain, and I will explain very carefully how widows are made in this province. You've taken coin, you've taken trade, you've taken sons. You will not take what remains.

Speaker 13  16:44  
This rebellion has gone to the women. Quiet. The

Speaker 14  16:48  
rebels in Boston hid their faces, yet you stand in the open. There is something to be said for that.

Speaker 7  16:55  
I sign my name to what I believe.

Speaker 14  16:58  
Then I suspect, mrs. Barker, your name will be remembered, and not kindly in London. Leave her.

Speaker 7  17:10  
Give the governor a message from me. Tell him no quarter, ever. If this fire in me is sin, quench it, Lord. But if it is yours, then let it burn clean. Amelia, thank you for hosting us in the parlor of your lovely home.

Speaker 11  17:40  
When you told me of the cause, I knew how important it was to invite every woman in Eatington. The

Speaker 7  17:48  
room is quite full to bursting, ladies conversing, laughing, and partaking of small delicacies. Yet no tea will be served. Is that so?

Speaker 11  17:59  
That is correct.

Speaker 1  18:01  
What

Speaker 11  18:02  
is this? I am serving herbal infusions.

Speaker 2  18:06  
Quiet declaration.

Speaker 11  18:12  
Ladies, ladies, I thank you for coming. I shall now allow Miss Barker to speak to the matter at hand,

Speaker 7  18:22  
ladies, some would say it is not a woman's place to concern herself with affairs of the state. Yet I believe the time has wait.

Speaker 8  18:31  
Before you do that, don't you think you should first discuss the repercussions of your tiff with Captain Ross?

Speaker 7  18:38  
Repercussions, Rebecca.

Speaker 8  18:40  
You refused your horses to the king's army.

Speaker 7  18:43  
That's right, I did. Do

Speaker 8  18:44  
you honestly think they will let that go, Penelope? They may not come after you, but they will go after your business interests. And what about us if we get involved with this boycott? The British can make our lives difficult, especially for our husbands.

Speaker 7  19:00  
Well, then let the price be shared by those who benefit. If we must wait to be asked to bear burdens, we'll be waiting past our daughters' daughters.

Speaker 8  19:09  
The British have closed Boston Harbor. The Crown is determined to strangle the city until it pays for the tea dumped into the water. People are suffering, starving. Livelihoods are dying. The state legislature has been dissolved. We would be fools to think England would not do the same to us.

Speaker 7  19:29  
Rebecca, why are you so angry?

Speaker 8  19:31  
What if the crown delays shipments? If fines come, if businesses are seized, then what?

Speaker 7  19:38  
We may lose spices. We may lose silk. We may lose tea. But I would rather lose comfort than lose courage. Fear has never protected us, Rebecca. Tell me. Who runs the households of Edenton in this province? Who decides what is bought, what is served, what is worn?

Speaker 2  20:08  
We do.

Speaker 7  20:09  
That's right, Mary. And if we hold the purse, we hold the power.

Speaker 8  20:15  
So, what is it that you are proposing, Penelope?

Speaker 7  20:20  
A written declaration. We shall refuse British tea and those goods which bind us to Parliament until our liberties are restored. I do not ask you to shout in the streets. I ask you to sign your names. Only ink and conscience. They'll call us foolish, or worse, traitors. Then let them. We answer to a higher judge. Perhaps we ought not to publish our names. The Boston Tea Party was carried out in disguise. Mary, our names will stand beside our faith, and our daughters will know what courage looks like in a handwriting they recognize. We will not sip submission. Let the crown drink its own poison. Are you with me?

Speaker 11  21:10  
I am with you, Penelope.

Speaker 2  21:13  
Amelia. As am I, Marius.

Speaker 4  21:16  
And I,

Speaker 1  21:17  
indeed.

Speaker 7  21:22  
Forgive me, Thomas. Bless our efforts, Lord. mrs.

Speaker 3  21:32  
Barker, Boston stands with you.

Speaker 7  21:36  
Boston. The

Speaker 3  21:37  
Crown believes closing one harbor will frighten the rest of the colonies into obedience, but suffering has a way of traveling.

Speaker 7  21:44  
I do not believe we have met. What did you say your name was?

Speaker 3  21:47  
Catherine.

Speaker 7  21:49  
Catherine, what?

Speaker 3  21:51  
For today, Catherine is enough.

Speaker 7  21:55  
Amelia, are you acquainted with Miss Catherine? I am not,

Speaker 11  22:00  
but today history has shifted.

Speaker 7  22:03  
No, it has begun.

Speaker 1  22:12  
The flame that burns in us will not be extinguished when peace is won. We labor not for men's applause, but for the favor of heaven, liberty begins in the heart that fears God more than man. The ink dried in Edenton, but the courage did not. From parlors to public squares, from kitchens to Congress, women began to move where no one thought to look. Penelope Barker signed her name, and others would follow.

Speaker 2  22:52  
Defiant Ones, a podcast presentation by Beautifully Flawed Productions, in partnership with the Washington Times, Tea Party Patriots Foundation, and the Women in My World, starring Rachel Hendricks, Michael and Hanson, Allison Bailey, and Jonathan Stoddard, featuring Jonathan Bullock, Tobias Kuhn, Shannon Fields Braswell, James Gelbreth, Levi Weidman, Carly Lepore, Brooklyn Low, Mark Oliver, Ryan O'Quinn, Katie Kinney Phillips, Julia Riley, Heidi Ru, Sherry Rigby, Ian Russell, Donna Shudi, Aaron Senn, Jackson Trent, Lexi Wiznouski, and Matt Weidman, inspired by the book *Defiant Ones* by Heather Blanton, written by Sherry Rigby and Claire Urida Lee, directed by Cheri Rigby, produced by Billy Hollowell, Claire Urida Lee, Julia Riley, Katie Kinney Phillips, and Sherry Rigby, casting by Donna and Lottie Shudi, immersive audio mix by Kim Farrell and Jade Dickey, original score composed by Luke Snyder, production mix by Dan Rivera's.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai