Almost everyone’s heard of her, there have been numerous books written about her, several thousand letters accounted for that she wrote. She was also the wife of the second president and the mother to the sixth American president, who was this woman? She was Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams life didn’t acquire meaning solely from knowing and being around these two great men however, Adams was eminently worth knowing as an individual herself. Throughout the ages, women have always been involved in war but Abigail Adams brought a new concept to women and war with her involvement in the early colonial years and the American Revolution. Abigail Adams did many things in her lifetime but the questions I will be attempting to answer is how exactly did she impact the Revolutionary War and change the social roles of women in such a male dominated society.
First and foremost, some basic knowledge on the early years and the foundation of Adam’s life are imperative to the understanding of Abigail Adams and how she grew into becoming the women she did. Abigail Adams was born Abigail Smith in a church in Weymouth, Massachusetts on November 11, 1744. Adams’s parents were William Smith, a liberal Congregational minister and her mother Elizabeth Quincy was of a prominent political family at the time. Abigail was the second born of four siblings, one brother and three sisters, their family faith was Congregational. The Adams’s were an active family in throughout the community and involved in the politics of the time. A majority of Adams’s younger days consisted of corresponding with family and friends and reading. Her childhood and young adult life didn’t involve much singing, dancing or card playing as young women typically participated in...
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... Thoughts Life and Letters of Abigail Adams
Gelles, Edith B. First Thoughts: Life and Letters of Abigail Adams . New York, New York: Twayne Publishers, 1998.
Dearest Friend: A life of Abigail Adams
Withey, Lynne. Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams. New York, New York: Free Press Division of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1981.
Abigail Adams - A Life
Holton, Woody. Abigail Adams - A Life. New York, New York: Free Press A Division of Simon & Schuster Inc., 2009.
Patriotism and the Female Sex, Abigail Adams and the American Revolution
Skinner Keller, Rosemary. Patriotism and the Female Sex: Abigail Adams and the American Revolution. Brooklyn, New York: Carlson Publishing Inc., 1994.
Abigail Adams, An American Women
Akers, Charles. Abigail Adams, An American Women. Toronto, Canada and Boston, Massachusetts: Little Brown and Company, 1980.
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Though quiet, sickly, and shy, Abigail Adams, the wife of second president John Adams, helped plant the seeds that eventually led to the concept of women¹s rights and women¹s equality with men. For a country which had been founded on the idea of independence for all, these concepts were still considered radical and even ridiculous.
Abigail Adams married a man destined to be a major leader of the American Revolution and the second President of the United States. Although she married and raised men that become such significant figures during their time, her herself was played an important role in the American society. The events that happened in her life, starting from childhood and ending in her adult years, led her to be a Revolutionary woman. Three main reasons behind her becoming such a strong, independent woman was the fact that she married a man who had an important role in politics, growing up with no education, and raising a family basically by herself.
Wife of John Adams, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams was known to advocate education in public schools for girls even though she never received formal education; however, she was taught how to read and write at home and acquired the opportunity to access the library of her parents where she broadened her knowledge of philosophy, theology, government and law. The informal education provided her with a basis of political ideas influenced by her grandfather, John Quincy. Both his teachings and his interest in government moved Abigail towards the thoughts and ideals that she carried through her involvement in the early colonial government. Abigail Adams desired both boys and girls to have access to education. In addition
Benjamin Franklin has been without a doubt one of the most relevant individuals in US history. His autobiography gives us a brief but detailed summary of what his life was like and how society worked in the eighteen century. This autobiography gives us many details of how the colonies where and offers and an overall image of the development of British North America which later turned into the United States. Due to the fact that this book was originally written for Franklin's son, the book concentrates in personal information and has very little information about other topics. However, there are some topics that can be extracted from his writings; one of them is gender. Even though, Franklin never talks openly about gender, we can observe how in his writing these roles are clearly assigned. In this paper, we will analyze how Benjamin's Franklin autobiography showcases the importance of gender in the early eighteenth century. Gender can be analyzed in Franklins book by looking at different topics. This given to men and women by society can be seen in the workspace, in the education of each individual, and in the family and family structure.
Abigail Adams was the wife of the 1st Vice President John Adams and the mother of the 6th President John Quincy Adams. She lived from 1744 to 1818 and for most of her life lived in Braintree, Massachusetts. The author of this biography wanted to bring Abigail Adams out from under the shadow of her husband John Adams. I think that Charles W. Akers was in fact successful in defending his thesis.
Comparable to other American men as well as a few American women before, during, and after the Revolutionary War of the 18th century, Benjamin Rush believed that women’s skills were limited to that of domestic work. His thoughts toward the abilities of women were that they began, and ended with the home: from caring for their children to caring for their husbands in addition to caring for the home. According to Rush: “They must be stewards and guardians of their husband’s property.” Judith Sargent Murray on the other hand believed women’s abilities extended past and beyond that of domesticity alone. She believed that women were capable of much...
John Adams, a United States diplomat and soon to become the second president, is now traveling with his son. In 1780, during the course of their voyage, Adams wife, Abigail, writes a letter to their son to encourage him to gain the most he can from traveling with his father. Throughout the course of Abigail Adams letter, she uses rhetorical strategies to emphasize why she is proud of her son and how he will become wiser from his adventures.
Unlike other significant women of the Revolutionary War, Reed was born and raised in London, England. Esther De Berdt, at that time, met her future husband, Joseph Reed, in England while completing his studies. The two were married and traveled back to the American colonies where Joseph worked as a lawyer. Even as America and Britain were on the edge of war, Reed grew to support American independence as her husband worked his way into the military. When Joseph became governor of Pennsylvania, Esther formed the Ladies of Philadelphia and wrote “The Sentiments of an American Woman.” She asked for women to help her actions, and together the organization raised three hundred thousand dollars through donations for the soldiers of the war. Reed wrote to General Washington with her plan to give the soldiers the money the women had raised, yet he denied her plan, proposing that the women use the money to create clothing for the men instead. The women began to buy linen and create shirts for the American soldiers. Reed’s organization was one of many similar groups across the nation, yet hers raised the most donations and thus influenced other women in other areas to do the same. When Esther passed away quite young, Benjamin Franklin’s daughter Sarah, took over and finished the amazing venture. Despite her hometown roots, Esther Reed grew into an American Patriot that influenced and motivated women to follow her
During John’s service in France and England Abigail would update him about the progression of the government and political parties. She would often include her views on equalizing rights for women, and sometimes slaves.
Abigail Adams is a wife and a mother during the Revolutionary War. As her husband travels overseas, their son has requested to join. With all the encounters possible, positive and negative, Abigail lets John Quincy know what his values in life are. She explains many life lessons to her son, letting the world revolve around him. This letter summarizes teaching life hands out to everyone. When you are raised in the way that sees good through your eyes, you will excel in your life.
...s were introduced. American women are truly lucky to have had Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams' efforts have given education for females. Charles W. Akers, the author of Abigail Adams an American Women, as well as I believe that if Abigail hadn't spoken out on these subjects, who else would have? Even though she did not accomplish her crusades, she planted the idea of her goal and objective into other minds. For her courageous foresight, women now have equal rights. Abigail was a talented letter writer, a supporter of her husband in his long civic career, and the mother of the most significant family dynasty in American public life. Abigail Smith Adams was the first fully liberated woman in American history and an inspiration to women for generations to come.
Magill, Frank M. Great Lives From History, American Women Series II. Pasadena: Salena Press, 1995.
Patterson Meyer, Edith. First lady of the Renaissance : a biography of Isabella d'Este. Boston: Little, Brown, 1970.