"Remember the Ladies"Adams made her strongest appeal for women's rights in 1776, when Johnwas in Philadelphia serving in Congress. As members of Congressdrafted laws to guarantee the independence for which the colonies werefighting, Abigail wrote to John begging him to remember that womenalso needed to be given the right to independence.Her letter reveals a prophetic sense of the struggles to come, as wellas an insightful understanding of the danger of making one groupsubject to the will of another: "I long to hear that you have declaredan independency — and by the way in the new Code of Laws which Isuppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you wouldRemember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them thanyour ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of theHusbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we aredetermined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound byany Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation" (Levin, p. 83).Apparently, John did not take Abigail's heartfelt and forceful appealseriously at first, for he wrote back in a laughing tone: "As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh. We have been told thatour Struggle has loosened the bands of Government every where. ThatChildren and Apprentices were disobedient — that schools and Colledgeswere grown turbulent — that Indians slighted their Guardians andNegroes grew insolent to their Masters. But your Letter was the firstIntimation that another Tribe [women] more numerous and powerful thanall the rest were grown discontented. This is rather too coarse aCompliment but you are so saucy, I won't blot it out" (Levin, p. 83).Levin, Phyllis Lee, Abigail Adams: A Biography, New York: St. Martin'sPress, 1987.http://www.edwardsly.com/adamsab.htm
Abigail Adams
1744-1818American first lady
Abigail Adams helped plant the seeds that would start women and menthinking about women's rights and roles in a country that had been foundedon the ideals of equality and independence.
Introduction
Abigail Adams was born Abigail Smith on November 22, 1744, in Weymouth,Massachusetts, a farm community about fifteen miles southeast of Boston.Her family on both sides had lived in the colonies for several generations andwas well established in the more influential circles of society. Her father,William Smith, the son of a well-to-do Boston merchant, was a Harvardgraduate who served as a minister in Weymouth. Her mother, ElizabethQuincy Smith, descended from a long line of prosperous, educated, and well-reputed New Englanders.Abigail, with her two sisters, Mary and Betsy, and one brother, Billy, enjoyed ahappy childhood growing up in the Weymouth parsonage. The family wasfinancially comfortable and had servants, a house full of fine furniture, and alush, productive farm. Their large, sprawling house sat on a hill overlookingfarmland that spread across the surrounding area. The Smith home was busyand active — visitors came often and relatives lived nearby.
Shy but stubborn
As a child Abigail was shy and quiet, but also determined and stubborn.Throughout her youth she suffered from one minor sickness after another.She later recalled being "always sick" (Akers, p. 5). Her parents, especiallyher mother, worried about their daughter's weak constitution, fearing thatsome disease or infection would cut her life short, as so often happened tochildren of this time.Abigail often complained to her sisters about their mother's constant worryingand overprotectiveness. She sometimes felt smothered by Elizabeth'shovering presence. With her somewhat austere nature and strict approach tochild rearing, Elizabeth insisted on obedient and excellent conduct from her children. However, life at the Smith home was not overly harsh or severe, for the father balanced out the parenting with his more easygoing and relaxedapproach.Overall, Abigail's early years were happy ones. At the Weymouth parsonage,amidst the security and guidance of a loving family, she developed the strictsense of values and strong moral fiber that would serve as a foundation for her later life.
Education
Like most girls of her time, Abigail received no formal education. Girls weretaught reading and writing primarily so that they could read their Bible andwrite letters. They also learned basic arithmetic to help prepare them for their role as housewives, when they would be required to balance budgets andsettle accounts. Although some Massachusetts towns did have primary""
Wife of one president and mother of another, Abigail Adams was more than a familyhelpmate. Insightful, witty, and intensely concerned with politics, she shared andshaped her husband John's political thought and career. Because of his service to thenation in war and diplomacy, they spent more than half their married life apart, butthey communicated closely. In early 1776 she was caring for their four youngchildren alone, but she wrote him to urge daring and boldness, quoting Shakespeare:"There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune."In her famous "Remember the Ladies" letter, Abigail Adams half jestingly proposedthat women should claim their share of liberty. She objected specifically to the legalcodes under which married women could not own property. But she was ahead of hertime; later generations of women would have to struggle to change such laws."I never wanted your advice and assistance more in my life," John Adams wrote toher earnestly after his election as the second president of the United States.Ironically, the reinforcement he gained from Abigail may have prevented him fromdeveloping the willingness to compromise. His unbending devotion to principle helpedmake him a one-term president.
Additional Resources:
Levin, Phyllis Lee.
Abigail Adams: A Biography.
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987.NOTES: "A Thomas Dunne Book." Includes index. Bibliography: p. [551]-556.Bobbe, Dorothie De Bear.
Abigail Adams, the Second First Lady.
New York: Minton,Balch & Company, 1929. NOTES: Includes index. Bibliography: p 329-330.Withey, Lynne.
Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams.
New York: Free Press;London: Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1981. NOTES: Includes index. Bibliography: p.[347]-356.Edited by: Stewart Mitchell.
New Letters of Abigail Adams, 1788-1801.
1947.Adams Family Papers 1776-1914, ca. 225 items. Library of Congress, ManuspcriptDivision. Washington District of Columbia.Also available at:http://www.firstladies.org/ Adams Family Papers 1639-1889, 175 ft. Massachusetts Historical Society. Boston,Massachusetts.Also available at:http://www.firstladies.org/
Abigail Adams was born on November 22, 1744, in Weymouth,Massachusetts. She married John Adams, who later became the secondpresident of the United States. She was the mother of John Quincy Adams.
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