Abigail married John Adams on October 25, 1764. Abigail and John were a perfect match and loved each other immensely. Abigail was a column of support in John's life. Through the years John's position in politics kept him moving. Abigail had the difficult job of caring for their children and taking care of all aspects of the family farm. Though they were apart for long periods of time, Abigail and John kept their unique love alive through letter writing.
Abigail was a very social person and was a skilled letter writer. In her letters to various people she expressed many of her beliefs, including how she felt about the role of women in society. In one of these letters written on March 3, 1776, Abigail wrote to John reminding him and his fellow Congressmen while they were working on the Declaration of Independence to:
Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could. If perticular care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, an will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.
Abigail was one of the first female to voice her opinion with such force. The ideal woman during the late 1770's was one who supported her husband and always worked behind the scenes while the husbands took the action. Going against the average woman of the day Abigail Adams became a role model for women who felt their gender was oppressed. She showed people that women had the right to equality with men.
--Laura Klivans '00, student at Noble & Greenough
--history teacher: L.E. Hartmann
--sources: Levin, Phyllis Lee