Introduction
Abigail Adams was not only one of the earliest first ladies of the USA, she was far more than that – an excellent housekeeper and good advisor to her husband, second President of the US John Adams – a woman with strong political and social views which she was not afraid to defend. Even though she was not well educated, she expressed her opinions in such an ardent way that her illiteracy was always excused. Abigail Adams was a revolutionist by nature. Her contribution to the lives of people in her era and of modern times cannot be overestimated. Abigail’s legacy includes numerous letters, the quotations from which illustrate what a wise and strong-willed woman, what a patriot and emancipation rights defender she was.
Body
Abigail Adams’ political views
In a letter to her husband, the US second President John Adams, Abigail addressed him with the words, “Remember the Ladies”, which was her way of a proclamation of women’s equity rights (Hubbard-Brown, 2009, p. 32). Adams emphasized the necessity for the collective voice of women to be heard and asked her husband not to entitle the men with as much power as his predecessors did.
A few years before her death, Adams wrote a will, though women were not allowed to leave any property to their relatives merely because they could not have any. However, she believed that females, as well as males, had a right to distribute the fruits of their labor in the way they wished (Holton, 2009).
Abigail Adams was a true patriot of her country. She called the Americans, “the freest and the happiest people upon the globe” (Kaminski, 2009, p. 6). She wrote, “I know America capable of any thing she undertakes with spirit and vigour” (Kaminski, 2009, p. 5).
Position on education and religion
A. Adams believed that children should be given a proper education, and defended their right to express their own opinion. She wrote to her husband, “You can do much service to your Sons by your Letters, and advice. You will not teach them what to think, but how to think, and they will then know how to act” (Kaminski, 2009, p. 3).
Abigail was a daughter of a pastor. She adhered to her religious upbringing throughout her whole life. She wrote, “No free Government can stand, which is not supported by religion” (Kaminski, 2009, p. 309).
“My pen, I think, is scarcly ever dry” (Kaminski, 2009, p. 39)
A. Abigail Adams did not receive a proper education, but her way of expressing opinions on the acute issues was so impressive that no one paid attention to her literacy problems. She wrote many letters to her husband, in which she shared her views on many life issues, such as patriotism, economics, education, religion, and others.
Conclusion
Abigail Adams might have been born as an ordinary woman, but she grew up to be an extraordinarily powerful thinker and defender of equal rights. Adams was a significant figure in the colonial period and the first ninety years of the United States. She had a great impact on her husband, the President, and she inspired many people to fight for equality. Her views are still remembered by modern society as they were the first open-minded opinions expressed by a leading American woman in a brave and eloquent way.
References
Holton, W. (2009). Abigail Adams. New York: Free Press.
Hubbard-Brown, J. (2009). Abigail Adams. New York: Chelsea House Publishers.
Kaminski, J. (2009). The quotable Abigail Adams. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.