AMERICA 250
My series on the highlights and lowlights of American history, marking this nation’s 250th birthday. The whole idea being we, as a nation, have done great things and we’ve done rotten things. And sometimes the things we’ve done have been both great and rotten. We are, to be sure, all too human.
America’s first feminist was Abigail Adams.
Oh, this is a highlight!
She was the wife of John Adams, the first Vice-President of the United States and the second President of the United States. Just seven years after the Colonies adopted Britain’s “coverture laws,” relegating women to the status of possessions of their husbands, like their hats and their goats, Abigail Adams in March 1776 wrote a monumental letter to her husband. At the time, he was serving on the Revolutionary committee that would edit Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.
Abigail’s letter to her husband arrived just four months before the 13 Colonies announced to the world they were now a new nation. In her letter, she conveyed to him a sentiment that might have sounded up to date in 1970, say, or even 2026, as long as you ignore her era’s flowery language, that is.
““Remember,” she wrote (all sic), “all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”
Holy shit!
You want a Revolution? she’s saying. We women’ll show you a revolution if you guys continue to ignore us.
Wow!
Abigail Adams
I imagine John Adams would have acceded to his wife’s wishes but there were far too many hard headed old mules who’d stick their fingers into both the Declaration and the US Constitution (1789) and so Abigail Adams’ plea (or demand) went unfulfilled.
For my money, Abigail Adams ought to be venerated as much as any of the stubborn men whom we call the Founding Fathers.
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