Abigail Adams

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"We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them" ("Abigail Adams"). Who would have known that Abigail's words of equal rights for both men and women would have made such an impact on her, as well as the lives of the rest of the world? Abigail Adams helped women's rights grow during 1700-1800's. It was important to her that women had the same amount of rights and opportunities that men had.  Abigail married John Adams, who was the 2nd President of the United States, and together, they had six wonderful children, John Quincy, Abigail Smith, Charles, Thomas, Susanna, and Elizabeth, that they both cherished and loved unconditionally. One of her children passed away shortly after birth, and another one while they were still young, ultimately raising four children alone. Abigail and John had a very loving marriage, and would share the events of their lives while her husband was away through their letters. It was because of these letters, published by her grandson, that the world was able to see what a truly remarkable woman she really was. Ironically, before she married John Adams, she was unsure of what her life purpose was. She didn't have a formal education and basically self taught herself everything she knew through books from a library. Her accomplishments eventually lead to bigger achievements such as growing women's rights, trying to help abolish slavery, and taking care of her children while John Adams was away on his political missions. Sadly, on October 28, 1818 she died of Typhoid fever. Abigail Adams is more than just a "First Lady" of the White House; she is an inspiration because of her bravery and loyalty for helping grow women's rights.

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Abigail Adams was brave and stood up for other women. She fought against an all male government in order for women to have the same rights as men. Abigail proposed to her husband on the change she wanted to see. "Abigail Adams began to press the argument in letters to her husband to create a new form of government s that can make an opportunity to make equitable the legal status of women to that of men" ("First Lady Biography...").  Adams began to write letters on what government changes needed to happen in order to make women's rights equal to men's. She was being brave because she took a stance and could have gotten herself into trouble, and her husband's image ruined. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, and Abigail Adams had a lot of courage. "Although Abigail Adams had been upset by her husband's earlier political assignments, which forced him to be away from home for years at a time, she understands what he has to do to become successful" ("Adams, Abigail"). She was able to look past her own feelings and remain supportive of her husband's career. This taught Abigail to be very independent and stand up for herself with very little help. She is brave for being the main caretaker in her family and looking after their kids alone while he is gone. After awhile, she realizes she doesn't need help from anyone and enjoys figuring it out on her own since is has been doing it for so long. This is comfortable for her, but not very common for women in this time to have this much power. With Abigail's hard work and bravery, she was able to achieve her goals without letting anything get in the way and affect what she was doing.

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Abigail didn't care what other people thought and did what her mind was set to. Her agenda was to take care of her family and their finances, and was a force to be reckoned. "Abigail Adams made no attempt to hide her contempt for the Anti-Federalists loyal to Jefferson who looked for any chance to publicly attack the Federalist followers of Adams" ("First Lady Biography..."). Abigail is loyal to her followers who are willing to stand by her side and fight with her. Her passion of helping others was so strong, even when she was being verbally attacked and her life threatened, she still continued to fight for everyone. Abigail was loyal to her family because she had no choice but to do everything while helping fight for women, and help her husband became president. "She used her talents to maintain her family during the many absences of her husband, John Adams, the second president of the United States, and to advise her husband about women's rights and slavery" ("Adams, Abigail"). She set her mind on different things and didn't focus on her husband because that would make her more stressed.She is loyal to this cause because she does everything she can to make it happen. With the help of Abigail's bravery and motivation, it made her loyal to make women's rights be equal until it became a law.

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Abigail had a positive influence on every women of the world with her determination and fighting for the right causes. John Adams was happy to award her the title of "First Lady" to her because he knows how long of a journey it was for Abigail to go through. . "...as the wife of the second president and mother of the sixth, she deserves the title "First Lady" of the new nation much more than the reticent Martha Washington" ("Akers").  This influences me because she did so much to earn such a great title. She was one of the original fighters for equal rights for women, that without her efforts, it could have taken longer to become equal. If everyone really knew all she contributed, more people would respect her and look up to her as a hero. Spend a couple minutes and think what you can do and help out with a worthy cause. Adams had so many challenges she had to overcome, alone and in a time when women didn't have any rights, but ended up pulling out with a win in her fight of the rights for women.  Abigail is not only known for women's rights but she also has some of her very famous letters published. "Perhaps best known for her prolific letter writing, she is credited with having a notable influence on her husband, John Adams, second President of the United States" ("Abigail Adams").  He was surprised to see how much she could really do in such short time. All the hard wars and battles shes went through to pull out with the win of women's rights. She has inspired others women to stand up for themselves and to fight for their own rights. Abigail Adams had an influence on her husband John Adams, and he was so proud of his wife, which in turn motivated her keep doing her amazing contributions.

Abigail Adams loyalty and bravery was crucial to improving women's rights throughout the nation. Adams stood up for all the women out there and tried to make their lives better by making both men and women have equal rights. At the time, men used women for labor and kids. Men wanted the kids so he can raise them to follow their footsteps, and it was the woman's job to cook & clean for the family. They did not have a voice or a say so in the family's finances or decisions. Their job was to be loyal and a caretaker. Abigail proved that women were capable of doing so much more, that it made others take notice and realize it didn't have to happen like that anymore. Women should live with as much freedom as their husbands, and not caged all day.She believed in this so much because she lived it every day.  Abigail Adams inspires me because she is so brave and hard working. Abigail also helped to abolish slavery as she felt everyone, not just women, should be treated equally. She fought it by herself against a government who was made up of all men. She inspires me to go make a difference in our community to help the kids who get bullied. Even though Abigail Adams isn't known by many people, her works of words and pride of what she fought for can make an impact on everyone. She didn't let anything come between her and her perseverance of life.

Works Cited

"Abigail Adams." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2015. 9 February 2015. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/abigail_adams.html

"First Lady Biography: Abigail Adams." Abigail Adams Biography. National First Lady Library, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.

"Adams, Abigail." UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Laura B. Tyle. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2003. 12-15. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.

Akers, Charles W. Abigail Adams, an American Woman. Boston: Little, Brown, 1980.

"Abigail Adams." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 18. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 3-7. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.