Abigail Adams-- a First Lady like No Other

During the period of early American history that would in retrospect be known as the Revolutionary Period, a tremendous amount of political and social change was taking place as a new nation struggled for an identity. Typically, this time period featured strong men who were deeply involved in public matters and women who were for the most part behind the scenes, raising the children and keeping the home. However, one woman who defied this generalization and indeed affected the times in which she lived, as well as the future, was Abigail Adams.

Abigail was a pioneer and trendsetter in redefining the role of women in her time and beyond, as evidenced by the many letters she wrote to her husband John, who ultimately would become President of the United States. This paper will discuss these letters, which provide valuable insight into Abigail's mindset, as well as her position on key issues of her day, as well as how these positions influenced the course of American history.

Adams' View of the Role of Women in Her Time

When Abigail Adams was a young woman, she realized quite quickly that despite her own desires to shape the future and comment on political matters was hampered by the fact that she, as a woman, was held back in many instances from freedom of expression. In the early 1800s, she made this clear when writing about her struggle, and the struggle of all women who grew up in her time, when she wrote the following: "The only chance for much intellectual improvement in the female sex, was to be found in the families of the educated class and in occasional intercourse with the learned". (Akers, 1999). In other words, only those women in higher social circles had even a shadow of a chance of achieving the level of knowledge that would enable them to have their collective voice heard. This being said, one of the main belief systems that made Abigail one of the pivotal women in early American history, and advanced the cause of women in politics and public affairs, was that of Republican Motherhood.

Republican Motherhood in the Mind of Adams

Republican Motherhood is a mindset and political action plan for women that began in the colonial days of America, and was indeed pioneered by strong women such as Adams herself (Akers, 1999). This philosophy held that mothers had the responsibility not only of raising healthy, educated children, but also that these children be raised by mothers with the knowledge of the importance of political involvement and a level of devotion to the cause of freedom for the new nation that ranged from patriotism to actual involvement in the affairs of government for men and women alike (Akers, 1999). In this sense, it can accurately be said that Abigail Adams is one of the originators of the role of women outside of the home and in the public arena. In fact, there is proof that Abigail practiced Republican Motherhood as well as she preached it; when her husband was away, busied with the business of government, she practiced a grassroots political action campaign of sorts in educating her five children in not only the educational prerequisites of the day, but also political affairs. The success of this instruction was proven many years later when one of those children, John Quincy Adams, followed in the footsteps of his politically active parents when he, like his father before him, became an American President (Akers, 1999).

Adams' View of Women as Daughter, Wife, and Mother

The belief and practice of Adams in Republican Motherhood speaks volumes about her views of the role of women in her time of revolution and struggle; moreover, her views of women as daughter, wife and mother are made clearer when reviewing her writings on these matters. Adams' disdain with the holding of political and social power almost exclusively by men can be seen in yet another quote from her letters to her husband: "I am more and more convinced that Man is a dangerous creature, and that power whether vested in many or a few is ever grasping, and like the grave cries give, give" (Akers, 1999). Here, Adams clearly shows that she wishes for women to have a larger role in matters of state. Expanding on this, Adams also shows that she feels that women, in the role of daughter, has the responsibility of becoming educated and learning as much as she can about what would today be called "the man's world" so that she can contribute to it in the future, regardless of what her role is as wife, mother, or even both. Putting words into action, Adams also shows that she wishes for the wife and mother to move beyond a subordinate position to the husband and father. In the case of the roles of a wife, Adams herself skillfully managed the financial and farm affairs for the family when John was away much of the time, again practicing what she declares to be the right path for contemporary women (Akers, 1999). As was discussed before, motherhood also took on new dimensions in the mind of Abigail Adams when she supported and practiced Republican Motherhood, which would directly impact American history in later years. Adams viewed the expanded role of daughter, wife and mother as not only important as a social issue, but also as a matter of tremendous need in a challenging time for the young nation, proven by statements she made such as "Great necessities call out great virtues" (Akers, 1999) .
Abigail Adams Contributions in Retrospect

In conclusion, having taken an in-depth look at the life, writings and practices of Abigail Adams, her contributions to the times in which she lived and beyond become quite clear. For her fellow women, in her time and even today, she set the standard for equal rights for women and the importance of political and social activism for women of all walks of life. Moreover, she showed that women could be independent, productive members of male dominated society. Lastly, her bravery to stand up in a challenging time stands today as a model for equality and as Americans say, liberty and justice for all.

References
Akers, C. (1999). Abigail Adams-An American Woman (2nd ed.): Longarm Publishing Group.