In one of the letters she wrote to her husband she states:.
"I long to hear that you have declared an independency - and by the way .
in the 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. If particular care and attention .
is not paid to the Ladies, we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and.
and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.".
This letter, as well as many others, express Abigail Adam's sentiments about independence and the rights of women and all people. She did not have any formal education and was poor in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. However, she did not let these defiencies prevent her from communicating with her husband in his absences, her family, and friend.
Part Two.
The historical events of the time and the life of the Adams family are so intertwined throughout this book that it is difficult to find a "most interesting" part. The chapter titled "If man is Lord, woman is Lordess" portrays Abigail as an intellectual equal to her husband in the confines of their home. Her political philosophy was as wise as that of her husband. In their talk of politics, she may have been superior to him. When their ideas conflicted, she persuaded him in his views. While she pressed John Adams on the importance of the emancipation of women, she never went beyond him. She maintained her role as a private observer and supporter of her husband. When she needed examples to get her point across, she used the queens who served as monarchs. She felt that women could be good sovereigns as the queens had been. Although she desired to reign only in the heart of her husband, she believed that women should work as hard for a voice in their male dominated society as to preserve what had already been attained.
In this chapter, as well as throughout the book, Dober shows how Abigail used her family connections and her constant supply of literature to educate herself.
