Born on November 11, 1744, Abigail Smith entered the world in the Massachusetts colony during troublesome time of England rule that was destined to end one day.1 Her family was well respected in the town of Weymouth, where she was born. Her father, William Smith, was a Congregational minister and her mother, Elizabeth Quincy, hailed from a prominent family in the colony.2 Abigail spent her time at her grandmother’s house where she was schooled in English, French, and history, meanwhile, gaining a well-rounded education from the many hours she spent in her father’s library. Her mother’s father, John Quincy, was a member of the colonial Governor’s council and colonel of the militia. He was also the Speaker of the Massachusetts Assembly, a …show more content…
As the colonial fight for independence from the mother country started, Abigail Adams was appointed by the Massachusetts Colony General Court in 1775, along with Mercy Warren and the governor’s wife, Hanna Winthrop, to question their fellow Massachusetts women, who were charged by their word or action, of remaining loyal to the British crown and working against the independence movement. “...you are now a politician and now elected into an important office, that of judges of Tory ladies, which will give you, naturally, an influence with your sex”, her husband wrote her in response to the appointment.4 This was the first time for a First Lady to hold a quasi-official government position. Mrs. Adams wrote almost daily letters in which she actively questioned the status of women in the fledgling United Stated. During this time in the 18th century, women received little formal education. According to the rules of society, a women did not need to be educated in order to fulfill her role as mother and homemaker. Adams strongly disagreed with this notion and argued that if women were not better educated, then how could they adequately teach their sons to be future leaders of this new county? Her husband agreed that all women should be educated, but
During the American Revolution, not only did men have to face the struggles of war time atmosphere, but women had to as well. The country during the war was divided into three different groups of people; the loyalists, the patriots and the remaining people who did not care. Catherine Van Cortlandt, a loyalist had to endure different struggles then the patriot women Eliza Pinckney and Abigail Adams. However, parts of their stories are similar when it came to their family struggles.
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.
First Generations: Women in Colonial America delivers a broad analysis over American women in the colonial period. It is evident that married women in colonial America were not considered equal to their husbands or to society in general. The rights of American women have come a long way in regards to civil rights. The control a woman in early Colonial America had over her own life was linked to race, religion, and class. Berkin organizes the first chapters according to race and region. Other chapters are organized by African American women, New England, and the middle colonies, Native American Women, and white women in the Chesapeake. Within each chapter, Berkin gives details about one woman from the region. European, Indian, and African women of seventeenth and eighteenth-century America were protectors of their native land, pioneers on the frontier, like-minded immigrants, and courageous slaves. They were also, as most scholars tend to leave out, just as important as men in shaping American culture and history.
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
Women generally did not fight in the revolution, and the traditional status of Eighteenth Century women meant that they were not publicly able to participate fully in the debates over the revolution. However, in their own sphere, and sometimes out of it, woman participated fully in the revolution in all the ways that their status and custom allowed.
Abigail tries to convey the general impact of the Revolution in Boston. She chose the details she did to try show John Adams what has changed in Boston as a result of the Revolution. She shares that the city is in a better condition that what she was expecting
Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her husband John Adams called Remember the Ladies. Abigail is writing this letter during the Revolutionary War. The timing of the letter is significant because the country is at war for freedom and equality. In her letter Abigail pleas with her husband for women’s equality. Abigail’s purpose for writing to John regarding women’s equality is so that he will think of women as they adopt new laws. Throughout the letter Abigail uses different points of view, word choice, and varying tones to persuade her husband to see the need for laws that are considerate of women.
The main point of this chapter was to showcase the religious, family-oriented background that Abigail was raised in. It explains why she is so focused on her family and John later in her life. It also explains her penname “Diana” and her love for literature and being involved in politics, after being taught to read at a young age.
Abigail Adams an American Woman was written by Charles W. Akers. His biographical book is centered on Abigail Adams the wife of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. She was the All-American woman, from the time of the colonies to its independence. Abigail Adams was America's first women's rights leader. She was a pioneer in the path to women in education, independence, and women's rights.
With the marriage to John Adams, Abigail gained more than just a family and a husband she gained a greater independence for herself and for the women in the colonies. John Adams was a political man and devoted his life to politics. Abigail spent majority of her married years alone and raising a family by herself, with the help of family and servants. It was during these years that Abigail started writing a tremendous amount of letters. She wrote to family and friends but most importantly to her husband John. In the letters to her husband she was able to express her feelings about situations that were happening in the family and colonies. She wrote encouraging words that helped him through troubled times in politics. With the absence of her husband during her second pregnancy,
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
Abigail Smith Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, on November 11, 1744. She was born to Elizabeth Quincy Smith and Reverend William Smith. Her father, being a reverend, taught her to respect God and help others in any way she could. Schools of this time were only accepting boys at this time and girls were to be instructed at home. Abigail was not satisfied with the limited education so she began the read books from her father’s library. Smith encouraged his daughter to learn. He wanted her to get to learn and have the same opportunities as boys. Still, Abigail longed to be formally educated. Abigail as a young girl visited her grandfather’s plantation quiet often. On her frequent visits her grandfather’s, Colonel John Quincy, sense of
Abigail Adams was born into a well-educated family. In her early years she was taught at home and learned “stay-at-home” life skills. When Abigail was twenty she was married to John Adams. Once John Adams left for the battle Abigail sent letters in hope that they would convince him to travel back home and stay safe from the battle, as she begged through her writing she acknowledged her trials that she is encountering without him home. When she realized that he was not going to come back before wars-end her letters started to change tones. When the battle was starting to hit Boston Abigail was struck with the idea to send a letter to John Adams about how he should recognize women in the revolution. One of her direct quotes from the letter she
The Letters of John and Abigail Adams provides an insightful record of American life before, during, and after the Revolution. The letters also reveal the intellectually and emotionally fulfilling relationship between John and Abigail that lasted fifty-four years and withstood historical upheavals, long periods apart, and personal tragedies. Covering key moments in American history - the Continental Congress, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and John Adams's diplomatic missions to Europe - the letters reveal the concerns of a couple living during a period of explosive change, from smallpox and British warships to raising children, paying taxes, the state of women, and the emerging concepts of American
Abigail Adams faced many hardships throughout her life. She was the daughter of a minister and had two sisters and a brother. In the 1700’s, children did not have a high survival rate due to the amount of diseases and nothing to treat them with. Abigail Adams said in her old age that she “was always sick” (Akers 5). This reminds people how tough life was in the 1700’s and how easy it was to pass away from a mere cold. Abigail also did not have any education growing up. Women, in the colonial era, were not supposed to have an education and were supposed to watch the kids, cook, and clean. Readers of this book learn that many women back then were illiterate and were self-taught, if they had any education. Abigail did find a love for literature due to her sister’s spouse, Richard Cranch. He influenced her love for literature at a young age and she started to become more literate. Along with the disease and educational deficiency, women were considered as property. A young woman could either give up