Roberts recalls being delighted by tales of her ancestor William Claiborne, who met the Founding Fathers in 1790. However, she learned next to nothing about her female ancestors prior to a few generations ago. This prompted her to ask, “While the men were busy founding the nation, what were the women up to?” (xvi). Founding Mothers is an effort to answer this question and to demonstrate that women played a variety of crucial roles in the formation of the United States. Although most women of the period left little written evidence, some letters to and from key figures remain, and Roberts has used these and other documents to build up portraits of “founding mothers” ranging from Deborah Read Franklin to Martha Washington. Through her research, she reached the conclusion that these women are not unique; rather, they simply did “what women do. They put one foot in front of the other in remarkable circumstances. They carried on” (xx).  

When George Lucas rejoined the British Army in the early 18th century, he left his 16-year-old daughter Eliza to manage his three South Carolina plantations. She thrived in the role, successfully managing the farming and business operations, educating herself and others, and even practicing as a lawyer for the poorer members of her community.