Abigail Adams Equality

This letter is a fine example of Abigail Adams' strong feminist and strong federalist views. These letters represented the turmoil felt by women during the uncertain times facing the colonies. The views of Abigail Adams became the first in a long line of cries out for women's equality.

During the late 1700’s, the colonies in America were upset and resentful of the British tyranny. In order to make the separation between the two groups official, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Two hundred years later, women were facing the same injustice, only it was from men; and to protest against the unfair treatment, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. Both parties of oppression fought against the same outcome, unjust treatment, yet, each fought against different causes and in different ways.

Abigail Adams was a woman of high character and a loving soul. She was selfless in her thinking and remarkable in the way she handled people. Her management skills were above average for the normal female in the 1700s. She held many worldly interests that tied her to the political fashion of society. She was well cultured and was able to apply this to her role of a politician’s wife with great attributes towards society. She became the “buffer” with regard to her husband's temper and lack of diplomacy. She participated in many political activities. Her independent thinking, character, faithfulness, and hard work gave her the ability to succeed in society in the 17th century. Even though Abigail Adams was not formerly

“I long to hear that you have declared an independency.And by the way,in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make,I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than you ancestors,”said Abigail adams.Abigail Adams life along time ago, her impact in the war,and after war shows how truly incredible she was for many people.

As members of Congress drafted laws to guarantee the independence for which the colonies were fighting, Abigail wrote to John begging him to remember that women also needed to be given the right to independence. Her most famous letter about the need for women's rights was written to John on March 31, 1776:

Through all the readings that she had possessed she had become, what was the start of, an independent woman. The fact that she continued to read to further her knowledge and to learn more did not faze her that not many other women were doing as she was. At a young age she knew that “settling” with the roles of women during this time was a life that she had to choose but she also wanted more. She wanted to educate herself and that she did through the works of her favorite author’s books and poems.

In Abigail Adam's letter “Last Act of Defiance,” Mrs. Adams challenged the concept of individual rights by standing up against the social actions women were not allowed to do. At this time in history women, did not have the same rights as men, yet Mrs. Adams was not afraid to rise up and speak about laws where women did not have a voice in. It states in the “Last Act of Defiance,” “... she did not simply complain about the government's denial of married women's property rights. She defied.” Abigail Adams openly challenged individual rights because even though women had no political say and she knew that most people wouldn't listen to her, she had the courage to speak up. She refused the government's laws and strictly oppose the government

“Abigail and John Adams Debate Women’s Rights,” is of two letters first from Abigail and the second was John Adams with his response to Abigail. The 1774 letters showed how Abigail was advocating for women’s rights as John Adams defines the authority males really have in society.

Withey’s book also includes much information about the politics and government of the time, while also painting a portrait of Abigail Adams as an intelligent, resourceful, and outspoken woman, as well as involving details of her domestic life, with excerpts from multiple letters that she and John wrote to each other. The reader is able to read these passages and understand the public and reserved sides of Abigail Adams, who was both a believer in the emancipation of slavery and an early feminist, and had advised her husband of keeping women in mind while he

Once again, the only way Abigail could communicate with him were letters. The letters this time were full of even more meaning because Abigail would report what she knew about the British and what they were doing. She knew how important this all was. She even took young John Quincy to the top of Penn’s Hill to watch the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17,1775. Although not all the people saw eye to eye with Abigail on her ideas, her husband agreed with her. In June of 1776 John was appointed to the committee of five men to help create the Declaration of Independence. Abigail was very please but she still longed for more. She had a broader idea then the delegates, she believed both sexes should have equal rights. In one of her most famous letter she wrote “remember the ladies, and be more favorable to the than your ancestors”. While they did adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 it failed to give rights to women or blacks. Abigail was not discouraged and that was good because there would be many more chances for her to make a difference. John was soon appointed head of the Board of War and would turn to Abigail in seek of help many times. He valued his wife’s opinion and once even wrote “I want to hear you think or see your thoughts”. In a letter she wrote to him at one point of his job as the board leader said “These are times a genius would wish to live…great necessities call out great virtues (Page

At the beginning of the struggle in America, women’s citizenship was not given serious consideration. Women were invisible in the political sphere and were seen to have no capacity where politics were concerned. When the war occurred, the role of women vastly changed. They were leaders off the battlefield. Women began to question their role in the political arena. Could a woman have a political thought? Could women be patriots? Must a wife’s political loyalty be the same as her husband’s? Once the Revolution succeeded, these questions were pushed away. Women had played the role of “Republican Mother” and completed their duty in helping the war effort, they did not need a more significant political role. Although women realized they had the potential to have a political mind, Kerber uses the legal processes of confiscation, coverture, and divorce to explain how women’s political identities were still tied to the role of wife. The American Revolution was a fight for liberty and freedom, unless you were a woman. As long as those three processes remained intact women would not gain freedom.

But the roles of women will soon influence American significantly, one woman who have that kind of influence is Abigail Adams wife of John Adams the founder and second president of the United States. Even though Abigail is self-educate she was very intelligent who believed that woman’s role was domestic and that they should be recognize, she also the one who urge her husband to not forget about the nation’s women who help fight for impedance against Great Britain. Even if her letter as brush off but this marks the first step for women to fight for their equal rights. Mercy Warren’s is another explained, she was the woman who believe in protecting human rights and publically reflecting her writing on liberty and on democracy encouraging other women, her influence was so great that it even reached John Locke himself and other philosophers who also believe in natural right. Other movement throughout the history were after the Second Great Awaking, reform movement such as temperance movement against alcohol, and to reduce teetotalers, most women

Women and men have always been depicted as socially, physically, and overall different; men are superior and women inferior. In both “Letters” by John and Abigail Adams and “I Want A Wife” by Judy Brady, women are belittled and thought of to be of very little importance. John makes it sound like the county and its needs are more important than his wife Abigail. Brady talks about how a woman, a wife is thought of by their spouse or husband; that they are easily replaceable. “It is very true, as you observe they have been duped by Dunmore.

When John Adams was writing the Bill of Rights, his wife sent him a letter saying “in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” in which he replied with “As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh...We know better than to repeal our masculine systems”. This shows that even in 1776 men did not want to let women to be equal to hurt their “masculine systems”(Carr, 2015). It did not get better from there. On July 19-20, 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York was the first women 's rights meeting held in the United States. The main organizer was Elizabeth Cady Stanton who became one of two well know women for this movement (Women 's Rights Movement, n.d.) This was the start of a long hard fight

The year 1776 future first lady Abigail Adams wrote to her dear husband advising him to think of the ladies when drafting America’s newest “code of laws”. Mrs. Adams asserted that “...all men would be tyrants if they could”. For all history has shown women have been forced to abide by the overbearing rule of men. A push for change was needed and her work would soon help shape America’s society.