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How Did Abigail Adams Influence The Policies

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It is often said that behind every great man stands a great woman. Abigail Adams was the epitome of a great woman. John Adams relied heavily on his most trusted advisor and wife, Abigail. For example, in 1798 President John Adams signed the Alien Act to appeal to Abigail’s mistrust of immigrants . As with this decision, Abigail had a very large impact on John Adams’ political policies. However, he did not always listen to all her requests, especially during the drafting of the United States Constitution. Abigail firmly reminded her husband to “remember the ladies… [or they will] foment a rebellion” , but he ignored her request. Abigail Adams had more strong views besides just women’s rights and immigration; she also firmly believed in the importance of charity, and the ending of slavery, her views had influenced John Adams throughout his presidency. The question then is why, or why not, did Abigail Adams’ societal views influence John Adams’ policies? John Adams thought of Abigail as his “wisest friend,” in return Abigail Adams never hesitated to argue with her husband on political matters, especially when it came to equality. Abigail is remembered for the many letters she wrote to her husband, John Adams, while he was away at the continental congresses. She pressed for …show more content…

She was strongly mistrusting of foreigners, and believed that to an extent foreigners threatened the security of such a fresh country. Her sentiments were fueled by the flood of immigrants that came to America as a result of the French Revolution. A large majority of the immigrants were in opposition to her husband as they largely identified as democratic-republicans, while she and John were of the Federalist party. Politically, such a large opposition did not bode well for them. Her influence in immigration is best seen in the Alien and Sedition Acts. These Acts came into play as a comeback to a scandal that was dubbed “The X, Y, Z

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