LITR 4231 Early American Literature Sample Research Posts 2014 (research post assignment) Research Post 2

Cassandra Rea

20^th April 2014

Abigail Adams: Not Your Ordinary Housewife

          Just like in my first research post, I still seem to have this fascination with how women fit into the equation of Early America. By reading so many female writers’ work, one cannot help but wonder how their role was played at that point in time. This research post surrounds another predominate woman in Early American History, Abigail Adams. Before researching, the only knowledge that I had of her was that she was the second First Lady and that she corresponded with her husband on numerous occasions by writing letters while he was away. It was through her letters that led to my attraction of not just her but her role during the American Revolution and others as well such as Phillis Wheatley. My focus for this research post is finding out who Abigail Adams was and how she contributed to Early American History and Literature.

          I started my research by finding a biography of Abigail Adams at www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=2. I wanted to get a well-rounded introduction of who she was to understand the basis of who she was before the American Revolution. Before Abigail married John when she was nineteen, she had no formal education and was always in poor health. When she married John, she immediately got pregnant and assumed her role as a mother. She would go on to have five children; three sons (one of whom would become president, John Quincy Adams) and two daughters. When John went to Philadelphia in 1774 to serve in the First Continental Congress, Abigail took over all of the household duties including running the farm that they owned. Not only did his departure leave Abigail to attend the duties of the house but “the separation prompted the start of a lifelong correspondence between them…offering a chronology of the public issues debated and confronted by the nation’s leaders” (firstladies.org). While reading this source, the topic of Abigail taking over all of the duties of the Adams’s estate sparked a pique of interest which leads into my next two sources.

          Through her letters, one could tell how outspoken and clever Abigail was, but the question of where it came from is explained through her role of taking over all the duties when John left. She had to learn quickly how to not only care for children but to run the family farm as well. After four years had passed, she struggled to keep the farm afloat and would eventually lease it out to tenants. Once she did that she “discovered an opportunity to develop her entrepreneurial skills; she became a merchant” and proved to be quite successful in that trade (Gelles 509). She did this by sending requests to her husband while he was overseas and sold these goods for a profit. By assembling her new role as a merchant, she would be able to support the family. Not only was she able to support her family but she also enjoyed being a merchant. This new found freedom would lead her into other ventures that she and John would disagree upon such as the purchase of land and the idea of bonds.

          Despite not being able to actually purchase land in her name she took it upon herself to purchase “1650 acres in the projected township of Salem, Vermont” in her husband’s name (Holton 823). This was absolutely enthralling that she had enough audacity to go through with a transaction like that and even more so that her husband did not approve of this either. If you think about it, it sounds pretty risqué for a woman of her time. Not only did she purchase this land but she also started purchasing bonds. This would lead to many disagreements between Abigail and John because she challenged his ideas and chose her own. Ultimately, she found her independence away from her husband. Despite their disagreements, John never reprimanded her and she went about her entrepreneurial quests to support the family. In fact, she would eventually “win” by getting back double their investment that would take care of their family comfortably. These events helped shape Abigail into the strong independent woman we read through her letters. It is with these letters that we are able to piece together her life in such detail.

          My last bit of research surrounds her writings that were never meant to be placed in History and Literature but just so happened to. In fact, Abigail did not want her letters published because she felt that it was inappropriate for a woman’s opinion of such radical nature to become public like that. It is with her writings that allow readers to see who this “intelligent, imaginative and warm-hearted woman” is (Eaton 3). Her letters began when John first left for Philadelphia which started out with everyday talk and over the years they would turn into political issues that Abigail held dear to her heart. These letters would span over decades and show a detailed account of what was going on during the American Revolution as well as going through her husband’s presidency. She would constantly write to John about women’s rights with equal education and she even pressed for the abolition of slavery. It is her letters that show what a pioneer she was when it came political issues.

          Overall this research has shown me a new light of Abigail Adams. She was not just a First Lady but she was so much more; she was independent, an entrepreneur, and had a mind of her own. She had the courage to take full responsibility when her husband left to serve the country and make something of herself. She proved that a woman during her time could indeed stand on her own two feet and make something of herself. With her independence, she took greater leaps in purchases including land and bonds which was intended for the greater good of supporting her family. Not only did she serve her family but by corresponding with her husband, she was able to put untouched issues on paper for her husband to address. Despite her topics never really making it or even taken seriously, she has shown that her train of thought was extremely ahead of her time. She was indeed revolutionizing the role of a woman without even knowing it. Through these letters, we as a society are able to get a first-hand account of who Abigail was and the relationship she had with her husband. It was all truly remarkable to learn that she just was not a housewife but so much more.

Works Cited

Eaton, Dorothy. "Some Letters of Abigail Adams." Quarterly Journal of Current Acquisitions  4.4 (1947): 3-6. JSTOR. Web. 17 Apr 2014.

Gelles, Edith. “Abigail Adams: Domesticity and the American Revolution.” The New England Quarterly 52.4 (1979): 500-521. JSTOR. Web. 17 Apr 2014.

Holton, Woody. “Abigail Adams, Bond Speculator.” The William and Mary Quarterly 64.4 (2007): 821-838. JSTOR. Web. 18 Apr 2014.

National First Ladies Library. www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=2