Abigail Adams Letters Home Analysis

Letters Written By Abigail Adams

It’s highly important to acknowledge the fact that these special documents are letters. Written with the expectation of only being read between the privacy of a mother and son and husband and wife. They were written during the spark of Republican Motherhood, which is a term that refers to the late 18th century gender roles women took during the Revolutionary Period. Women had to become the educators. Abigail Adams, being a strong model of this “Republican Motherhood”, wrote to her son, John Quincy Adams instilling the virtues that would contribute to his strong political future. She expresses the importance of compassion and the value of observation within the lines of understanding the progression of politics

and power. To her husband, she wrote about her ideas of a new era where women can be more than just a gender, but also a benefit to politics. Abigail’s passion for change is clearly expressed in her letters, her voice extends beyond just her needs.
Abigail has an assertive manner, as displayed in her letters to her son. She felt strongly about her role as a mother, which would explain why she speaks so freely to him. Whereas to her husband, such language wasn’t expected. In the letters to her husband, Abigail made some clear suggestions, “I long hear that you have declared an indepency. And, by the way in the new code of laws, which I suppose it would be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies.” , she’s referring to women’s rights. She uses the nature of independence, which America so desperately demanded, in a motion to expose its discernable flaw. For a nation who constantly insisted on its rights as men (Englishmen), unjustly placed restrictions on those who’ve supported them through the fight. This includes the women who took care of the home while their husbands were away, and even the slaves whom fought alongside in battle for America’s independence. Abigail points out, “that the passion for liberty cannot be equally strong in the breast of those who have been accustomed to deprive their fellow- creatures of theirs… certain that is not founded upon [the] Christian principle of doing others as we would that others should do onto us . At this point Abigail brings forward the greatest flaw within Americans. A nation forged under God and the extent of liberty and freedom, can’t show that kindness to their own people. A nation so in support of Christianity, and converting others in the way of its principles, can condemn women, men and children to slavery. Extending beyond the denial of freedom, but creating a sense of inferiority. Denying their reality as human beings. If men cannot see beyond color, how could they ever see beyond sex? Abigail doesn’t stop there, she speaks further by saying, “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to forment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” Abigail left the notion of “remember the ladies”, and moved to a bolder idea, not even that, an assured reality of what was yet to come. In this moment, it’s as if, the womanly domestication she once embodied had briefly faded. For a moment, she was more than just a patron of Republican Motherhood, she now understood the craving America once demanded, their rights as men or soon women.
Abigail’s letters to her husband, were both assuring and powerful. Yet, it leaves behind the question to John’s response. He replies as if she’s a joke, “As to your extraordinary code of laws, I can not but laugh.” A perfect example to how women were seen. Even the slightest proclamation, with honest truth can mean nothing behind the mouth of a woman. But with the utmost respect to his wife, Adams entertains the idea, “But your letters was the first intimation that another tribe, more numerous and powerful than all the rest, were grown discontented” . To refer to women as a tribe, like their savage, comparable to the Natives and Africans, people whom have been defined as uncivilized. Women were accustomed to central roles where manner was highly important, they may have been unequal to men, but savage they were not. In John’s defense, a lot was going on during this time.
Her letters to John were written in, Braintree, Massachusetts, March 31.

1776, just four months prior to America granting itself independence from Great Britain, using the document known as The Declaration of Independence. Revolutions have a way of influencing others, even John was aware of its impact, “We have been told that our struggles has loosened the bonds of government everywhere, children and apprentices were disobedient; that schools and colleges were grown turbulent; that Indians slighted their guardians and negroes grow insolent to their masters,” following with women being discontent with their rights. Americas fight for independence sought to be motivation for Abigail, at the least it inspired her to speak so freely to her husband. She took her observations and struggles during this Revolutionary Period, to express her concerns in regard to women’s rights. In a way, she believed, he would never truly understand her grief, for she already knew “the passions for liberty cannot be equally strong in the breast of those who have been accustomed to deprive their fellow- creatures of theirs” . She knew she had to speak wholeheartedly for him to understand the extent to which she was willing to go for women’s

right.
During the duration of 1776 – 1783, the same time frame that Abigail wrote to her son, John Quincy Adams, America was at war with Great Britain.

Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence and The Treaty of Paris, America was in means of establishing a government. It wasn’t until later, between 1810 -1880, did women begin to make their move. A development due to the market revolution; an economic transformation of manual labor. Thus changing land owning from no longer being the only way to make money. Now all white men were allowed to vote. This left a desired explanation for women, slaves, and Natives who weren’t allowed to vote. Many men felt giving women the right to vote would be equal to giving men two votes. Remembering this notion of Republican Motherhood, a notion that later transformed into what is now called, The Cult of Domesticity, meaning women were biologically conditioned to stay at home. America, following its etiquettes and manuals of what’s proper behavior, society alone, would never allow women the means to vote nor legitimize them as

independents.
Until July 19th-20th of 1848, the women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, where many declarations of sentiments were discussed for change to adoption. Leading to the addition to the Declaration of Independence. Now, “We hold these truths to be self- evident: that all men and women are created equal.” Then finally in 1920, with the ratification of the 19th amendment, did women get the right to vote, over a century after the constitution was written. This is the significance of Abigail’s letters. Without her statement of “remember the ladies”, women would’ve been further behind in history, it could’ve been easy another century before women got the right to vote. This clearly proves that every idea or thought has a definite purpose, women can be more than just mothers and caretakers. They can be intellectual, moral, and committed. Without these mere letters, women wouldn’t be running for Senate, Governor, especially, running for President of the United States. Decisions made by one individual can have a domino effect. Abigail could have never fathomed the influence her letters, let alone be a hot topic throughout history.