Abigail Adams Influence On Early American Women

During the development of the United States, a woman’s role was set out for her through marriage, forcing her to follow the life her husband chose to lead for himself and, therefore, his family. The Patriarch system from England transferred over to their society early on, setting women below men. Women are rarely noted for their successes and involvement in main events during the colonial and post-war times of America; yet, women were directly and indirectly essential to the success of the nation. Women helped shape not only gender roles, but the nation’s outcome through their influence over their husbands. Prominent men such as George Washington and John Adams stayed in constant contact with their partners throughout the shaping of America, causing their wives to be …show more content…
Abigail Adams was born on November 11, 1744 to Reverend William Smith and Elizabeth Quincy, a five-generation American like Martha Washington’s mother. Abigail, due to her father’s career, grew up in a predominantly religious household, leading to religious influences to impact her life. One way was through the meeting of John Adams. The two had met in their youth at church; however, John found Abigail, who was much younger, to be undesirable. John Adams would be reintroduced to Abigail when he was a “twenty-seven-year-old lawyer and a graduate of Harvard College” and she nine years younger and educated primarily at home by her mother. Abigail and John Adams were unlike most couples during the colonial era. Their closeness and openness was rare among husband and wife and would come to greatly influence the decisions John made through Congress, his vice-presidency and