Name:
Mrs. Smith
English 12, period:
Date:
During the American Revolution (1775–1783), the American colonies fought against Great Britain for the formation of an independent United States. Women within colonial America were primarily concerned with domestic and family affairs and depended on their fathers and husbands to represent them publicly. The following letters provide a window into the views of Abigail and John Adams on the political place of women during the revolutionary era.
Letter 1: Abigail Adams to John Adams,
31 March 1776
In this excerpt Abigail shifts her focus from human nature and the need to restrain it to women and the need to protect them. In one of her best known quotations, she urges her husband John to “Remember the Ladies.”
…I long to hear that you have declared an independency — and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined tofomenta Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.
That your Sex are NaturallyTyrannicalis a Truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend. Why then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity. Men of Sense in all Ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your Sex. Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness.
Letter 1Close Reading Questions
How, in the first paragraph, does Abigail Adams parallel the plight of women with the political condition of the colonies?
What does Abigail Adams mean when she says that “such of you [men] as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend?”
What argument does Abigail make in the second paragraph?
Is she asking for full women’s independence? How do you know? Cite evidence from the text.
Letter 2: John Adams to Abigail Adams
14April 1776
As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh. We have been told that our Struggle has loosened the bands of Government everywhere. That Children and Apprentices were disobedient -- that schools and Colleges were grown turbulent -- that Indians slighted their Guardians and Negroes grew insolent to their Masters. But your Letter was the first Intimation that another Tribe more numerous and powerful than all the rest were grown discontented. -- This is rather too coarse a Compliment but you are so saucy, I won’t blot it out.
Depend upon it, We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems. Although they are in full Force, you know they are little more than Theory. We dare not exert our Power in its full Latitude. We are obliged to go fair, and softly, and in Practice you know we are the subjects. We have only the Name of Masters, and rather than give up this, which would completely subject Us to the Despotism of the Petticoat, I hope General Washington, and all our brave Heroes would fight. I am sure every good Politician would plot, as long as he would against Despotism, Empire, Monarchy, Aristocracy, Oligarchy, or Ochlocracy. -- A fine Story indeed. I begin to think the Ministry as deep as they are wicked. After stirring up Tories, Landjobbers, Trimmers, Bigots, Canadians, Indians, Negroes, Hanoverians, Hessians, Russians, Irish Roman Catholics, Scotch Renegades, at last they have stimulated to the demand new Privileges and threaten to rebel.
Letter 2 Close Reading Questions
How does John Adams respond to Abigail’s request in her letter (lines 5 and 6) “I desire you would remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.”?
What was John’s tone in his response to Abigail’s ideas? Cite evidence from the text.
What does John Adams mean when he argues that the “Struggle has loosened the bands of Government”?
Masculine systems describe male dominance in a society with women having little political power. John claims that men are not actually dominate. How does he support this claim?
Letter 3: Abigail Adams to Mercy Otis Warren, 27 April 1776
This excerpt is from the one letter in this lesson that Abigail wrote to someone other than her husband; she wrote to her good friend Mercy Otis Warren. She discusses her husband’s response to the “Remember the Ladies” letter and flatly states that laws are needed to protect women.
He is verysaucyto me in return for a List of Female Grievances which I transmitted to him. I think I will get you to join me in a petition to Congress. I thought it was very probable our wise Statesmen would erect a New Government and form a new code of Laws. I ventured to speak a word in behalf of our Sex, who are rather hardly dealt with by the Laws of England which gives such unlimited power to the Husband to use his wife Ill.
I requested that our Legislators would consider our case and as all Men of Delicacy and Sentiment areaverseto Exercising the power they possess, yet as there is a naturalpropensityin Human Nature to domination, I thought the most generous plan was to put it out of the power of theArbitraryandtyranickto injure us withimpunityby Establishing some Laws in our favor upon just and Liberal principals.
I believe I even threatened fomenting a Rebellion in case we were not considered, and assured him we would not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we had neither a voice, nor representation.
In return he tells me he cannot but Laugh at My Extraordinary Code of Laws. That he had heard their Struggle had loosened the bands of Government, that children and apprentices were disobedient, that Schools and Colleges were grownturbulent, that Indiansslightedtheir Guardians and Negroes grewinsolentto their Masters. But my Letter was the firstintimationthat another Tribe more numerous and powerfulthan all the rest were grown discontented. This is rather too coarse a complement, he adds, but that I am so saucy he won’t blot it out.
Letter 3Close Reading Questions
In this letter Abigail specifically writes about the laws which she thinks should be changed. Which laws are those?
Why does she think these laws to protect women are necessary?
Why does Abigail believe women must be protected from men who are “arbitrary and tyranick”?
Why does John Adams characterize women as the most powerful of the discontented “tribes”?
Letter 1Close Reading Questions
How in the first paragraph does Adams parallel the plight of women with the political condition of the colonies?
She does so by making the same case against men that the Patriots make against the King of England. They and he are tyrants. They give women no voice in the laws that govern their lives, just as the King gives the colonies no voice in the laws that govern them. If the King’s rule over the colonies is unjust, so, too, is men’s rule over women. If the King’s rule over the colonies warrants rebellion, so, too, does that of men over women.
What does Adams mean when she says that “such of you [men] as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend”?
She means that some men can overcome their natural tendency to be tyrants and treat women justly and that such men will be happier for doing so.
What argument does she make in the second paragraph?
If men are “Naturally Tyrannical,” why not take from them the power to exercise this natural propensity; why not “put it out of the power of…vicious and Lawless [men] to use [abuse] women with cruelty and indignity.”
Is she asking for full women’s independence? How do you know? Cite evidence from the text.
She is not asking for full women’s rights as we know it today because she states, “regard us [women] then as beings placed by Providence under your protection…”
Letter 2 Close Reading Questions
How does John Adams respond to Abigail’s request in her letter (lines 5 and 6) “I desire you would remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.”?
He disregards it, he doesn’t take it seriously, he is shocked that a woman, his wife, would speak so candidly to him. Letter 2, Line 4: “As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh.” Letter 2, Lines 11-12: “This is rather too coarse a Compliment but you are so saucy, I won’t blot it out.” Rationale: Students should be able to show beliefs of the time periods regarding women and their place in society.
Why does John Adams argue the “Struggle has loosened the bands of Government? (Line 5)
This rebellion has inspired rebellions on a smaller scale in all parts of society. Letter, lines 5-8: “We have been told that our Struggle has loosened the bands of Government everywhere. That children and Apprentices were disobedient— that schools and Colleges were grown turbulent—that Indians slighted their Guardians and Negroes grew insolent to their Masters.” Rationale: Students should know that the discussion of independence was revolutionary for the time. It inspired new perspectives and new ways of thinking.
Masculine systems describe male dominance in a society with women having little political power. John claims that men are not actually dominate. How does he support this claim?
Little more than theory (line 15); do not exert power (line 16); fair and softly (line 16) and we are all subjects (line 17); Master is only a name (line 17).
Letter 3Close Reading Questions
In this letter Abigail specifically writes about the laws which she thinks should be changed. Which laws are those?
She believes that the laws of England give unlimited power to the husband to “use his wife ill” and she wants to make sure that the new American government does not adopt these types of laws.
Why does she think these laws to protect women are necessary?
She says that even though some men would not treat their wives badly, she believes that “there is a natural propensity in Human Nature to domination….” Abigail states that men have a natural instinct toward domination, and laws would help them remember not to treat women in abusive ways.
Why does Abigail believe women must be protected from men who are “arbitrary and tyranick”?
She believes men who are arbitrary tyrants, unreasonable and unpredictable, display man’s “natural propensity in Human Nature to domination.” Abigail is reminding her husband that laws must protect women against men who cannot control this natural propensity to domination which might strike at any time.
What was John’s tone in his response to Abigail’s ideas? Cite evidence from the text.
His tone was derisive and mocking. He laughed at her suggestions, stating that the current state of rebellion had led to a lessening of respect for laws in a number of groups (children, apprentices, students, Indians, and Negroes) and that he would now add women to that list.
Why does John Adams characterize women as the most powerful of the discontented “tribes”?
John Adams is alluding to the familiar and often invoked power-behind-the-throne argument, which holds that, for all their seeming power, husbands really follow the dictates of wives. In his response to Abigail he wrote, “Although they [systems of masculine power] are in full force, you know they are little more than theory. We dare not exert our power in its full latitude. We are obliged to go fair and softly, and, in practice, you know we are the subjects. We have only the name of masters…[giving up power] would completely subject us to the despotism of the petticoat….”