During times of war, families are often separated by long distances, and families during the Revolutionary War were no different. History has presented generations with a unique perspective of the desire for equality that the female class advocated for as an outcome of the establishment of a new government and country through the writing and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America. This position is clearly articulated by Abigail Adams to her husband John Adams, the future second president of the United States, in a series of letters that began in March of 1776 and continued through August of 1783. While it is difficult to understand if Mrs. Adams' desire for equal rights for women was shared by the larger female population one can take the position that her views and sentiments were sparked by conversation and common beliefs of her social circle, which historically is often the nexuses for revolution and reform. This series of letters is historically valuable because it not only presents Abigail Adams' desire for her husband to create a country that included equality for women but equally important it presents John Adams' reaction to her request possibly giving insight to the male position on the subject at that time and why it was not addressed by our counties founding fathers.
The excerpts from the private correspondence between Abigail Adams and her husband John Adams that are presented in For the Record span a period of seven years when the couple was separated due to the Revolutionary War. The letters presented begin on March 19, 1776, two months after Thomas Paine's political pamphlet "Common Sense" is published and go through August 13, 1783 just prior to the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Throughout their on-going communication the Adams write about their family, concerns with the status of the war and its outcome, but most importantly political views of the time and specifically the critical issue of equality that Mrs.