Kayla Riggs

April 22,2012

The Turning Point of Women Writer’s with Abigail Adams

In my first research post my goal was to show readers how women writers were often overlooked. Many women did significant things but we only study a few in literature classes. One woman that has made a significant impact on Early American Literature and women writers is Abigail Adams. She, by all means, has taken writing to a whole different level during her lifetime. Throughout the Revolution she would write back and forth to her husband who was away from her, carrying on the marriage in the best way they could at that moment. With whatever happened during that time period she would put that pen to the paper and write beautiful, intimate, descriptive letters back and forth with him. Abigail Adams is such a powerful woman of that time frame because she shows other women what it is like to be loving, significant, and use her words miraculously.

As everyone clearly understands, Abigail Adams was the wife of our second president of the United States, John Adams. Abigail undoubtedly stood beside John Adams in all performances and trials that he encountered, they were a team. But, what some of us don’t see is the amount of influence Abigail Adams had on her husband. While most women in this time period did the usual cooking, cleaning, housekeeping type of things, Abigail Adams had a lot more on her hands. The letters that were sent back and forth weren’t just love letters that didn’t matter, but they were influencing letters that made big decisions for John Adams. He genuinely accepted advice from Abigail Adams on all accounts, and their letters played out to be important political writings. She was definitely a woman behind the scenes who truly made some intellectual decisions for her husband and his duties as President. This is not often seen, actually, hardly ever seen. She was a master mind and very intelligent. She used her writings to her husband as an educational route to help him in every way.

Abigail Adams was born in Massachusetts, where her family was politically trained; which is why her political influence on John Adams was much appreciated and carried out through her lifetime until she died of typhoid fever when she was 73. Abigail Adams was an advocate for women’s rights and this is the main reason I chose to do my second research post on her. I didn’t just pick a woman who everyone knew and read about, although some literature classes do read over these letters between Abigail and John. But, I wanted to write about a woman who was dedicated to other women and wanted to change the future on women being overlooked. Abigail Adams didn’t want women to be overlooked; it was time for them to be equal. Equally read and equally discussed in literature classes because in some way or another they are all significant. Abigail Adams did not want women to be content with being housewives for their significant others. She was a big believer that if they could not receive education then they should educate themselves some way or another. An intellectual human being is far greater than someone who knows nothing. Knowledge is Power. The more a human knows, especially a woman, the greater their chance is to being significant. Education to Abigail Adams shows strength and good guidance for not only the world, but family as well.

These letters that Abigail Adams and John Adams sent back and forth changed thoughts about women and their place in history; through education and politics. Abigail Adams could have been just another first lady, standing beside her husband through thick and thin, but instead, she was determined to be equal with him. I would consider her the second president of the United States just as much as John Adams was. She was an outstanding leader and changed the outlook on the education and purpose of women. She had a strong influence on not only her husband, but everyone else as well. Her letters showed dominance, intelligence, vulnerability, intimacy; everything someone could count on while being away from their significant other.

Abigail Adams is a completely personal study for me. She is showing women that education has a purpose and a person can do incredible things when education is the outcome. Abigail Adams shows that man or woman, you can succeed. Although it is far easier nowadays than it ever was back then, it is possible. She is such a powerful figure in women’s history and I absolutely love learning about her. Abigail Adams help me to cherish our freedom, education, and writing amongst women. Don’t overlook women, study about them.

Just to touch up on a few things that other people wrote about in their research posts that I really enjoyed. Sarah Wimberley discussed that she genuinely appreciates the opportunities that we have as women in our time period. We have to remember, this isn’t how it used to be. Women worked really hard to be depicted as we do in this day and age and I am so thankful as well. She jots down how women in the Colonial period did not have a lot of educational chances, and writes some statistics as well, this is extremely important to understand.

Lori Arnold states that “education has a power to shape how a person develops and who they become”. This is so important to understand. Going back to Abigail Adams and what she believed regarding education, it is so motivational. Education gives an individual chances, without it can be difficult to succeed. Educate yourself and become who you want to be.

Work Cited

Rowe, Linda. “Women and Education in Eighteenth-Century Virginia.” Colonial Williamsburg Research Division Web Site. Web. 5 April 2010.

Herndan, Ruth Wallice. Literacy Among New England's transient poor (1750-1800). 1996. 29 March 2010 <http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LvlXR61cr2fJ5s2r5JHNpvTQvdVxCGhTx2Gj2HLXKdkHjcYb11Kh!1274572157!143387362?docId=5000392518>.

Edith B. Gelles. Abigail Adams: A Writing Life. New York: Routledge, 2002.

National First Ladies Library. 2009. <http://www.firstla/