With Sophie’s help and strong advice, Henry worked laboriously over the statement. They talked back and forth for a while, and finally Henry said, “Why don’t we just call for some kind of public meeting and let people bring up their grievances and also demand a citizen’s right to give instructions to the courthouse crowd?”

Sophie exclaimed, “That’s it! It’s simple, clear, just calls for our basic rights, and is something that could be done.”

The next day Henry was proud of their work, especially when everyone else agreed with the statement. With a few changes, they had it printed up, signing it “Members of the Sandy Creek Association.”

Their decision was admirable and idealistic, but most of them soon came to realize that it was politically naive. The statement dealt almost exclusively with local offices and called for regularly scheduled public meetings in which the citizens could let their views be known and also issue directives. If adopted, the proposal would have transformed the entire political system in the county and throughout the colony. It aroused some interest, but was ridiculed almost unanimously by influential citizens, and ignored by the county officials. After a few days, Henry and the other men decided that they had at least raised some of the issues, but that a meeting would not be helpful until the general public was more interested.

•  •  •

As the only leather worker in town, Henry was thriving, and Sophie was soon overrun with orders for clothing. Henry began asking some of their customers if they knew of anyone who might be interested in helping her. The Pratts were surprised when the apothecary’s wife, Josephine, came by the shop and offered to do some sewing of the soft leather. She could only work four hours a day and insisted on just a small wage, considerably less than Sophie had been paid in Norfolk. She said she didn’t need the money; she had no children, her husband didn’t need her help in dispensing his limited stock of medicines and advising customers who had an ailment, and she was tired of being at home alone.