Mount Pleasant Junior High eighth grader, Ella Rosewell, recently won the Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest. Rosewell was presented a certificate at the awards banquet on Monday, February 10, at St. Andrew Methodist Church.

Rosewell’s essay was titled Celebrating a New Kind of Tea Party! When asked what her essay was about, she said, “Lydia Burns shares through her diary, her personal experience of the Edenton Tea Party, a protest led by 51 women. Lydia explains that on October 25, 1774, Mrs. Elizabeth Barker gathered all 51 women to sign a paper that shows the agreement of boycotting all British Goods because of the unfair taxes. She provides the context of how all of the gathering started. The costly victory of the French and Indian war caused taxes to rise. Later on, the Tea Act of 1773 caused the colonists to become even more enraged. Lydia explains at the end of her diary entry, all of the emotions flowing through her veins. There were feelings of pride, justice, nervousness, and fear. Although she was scared of the chance of consequences, she grabbed the pen with her head held up high as she signed the paper.”

The DAR American History Essay contest is open every year to students in 5th-8th grades. Rosewell is the daughter of Vance and Ariel Rosewell.

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Ella Rosewell (left) receives her certificate at the DAR awards banquet