Analysis Of Founding Mothers By Cokie Roberts

Cokie Roberts’ Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation examines women's role in the establishment and development of the United States of America. Throughout the book, Roberts attempts to prove that women have natural characteristics in which they use to their advantage to build a foundation for the future of all women. She examines the lives of some of the most important women in U.S. history, such as Abigail Smith Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Sarah Livingston Jay, Martha Washington and Mary White Morris. Roberts researched all of the women who “had the ears of the Founding Fathers,”. She believes that since these women lived in such a strange and wonderful time period that they must have strange and wonderful stories to tell. The book

Her most common method of proving her argument is through direct quotes from the women. The quotes come from letters she read through that were written by either the woman herself, or the ladies husbands. Fox example, in a letter from John Adams to his wife Abigail he says “I must entreat you, my dear partner in all the joys and sorrow, prosperity and adversity fo my life, to take a part with me in the struggle”. Roberts includes this as evidence to prove that the Founding Fathers needed their women to play their part. This part being helping the men in their everyday lives such as making decisions, keeping him in order and taking care of the things he wasn’t. John relied very much on Abigail, and Abigail was sure to put her word in on the decisions her husband made. She tells her husband to “remember the ladies”. This is one of the most famous lines from Abigail’s letters, telling Adam to not forget about the women during the Continental Congress in Philadelphia 1776, when fighting for America’s independence from Great

Roberts says that if it weren’t for these women our lives today might very well be completely different then they are today. There still might have been poor and unsafe working conditions, unequal wages between men and women, and much more. These women were constantly fighting and influencing their husbands and important men around them to, as Abigail Adams said, “remember the ladies”. George Washington was a man that never forgot to recognize the ladies. Roberts provides a quote from George Washington where he is recognizing the men which we now call the Founding Fathers. He starts by giving credit to the men that formed our nation but also includes that the ladies played a huge role in shaping our country and they are the “best patriots America can boast”. Roberts concludes the book with that statement, which leaves the book at an ending that makes you stop and reflect on the real impact these women have had. Female activists were formed because of the bravery of these women and if it went for them, female activists might not have been as successful as they were. Roberts proves that these Founding Mothers were the foundation and stability behind our Founding