Abigail Adams' "Remember the Ladies" Letter (1776)
On March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her husband, John Adams, who was serving as the Massachusetts representative to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. She told him that she wanted him to please "remember the ladies" in the "new code of laws." She wrote, “I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable 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.” Abigail Adams was one of many women, who throughout history, was an activist for women who wanted equality for both sexes. Abigail Adams was the wife of Congressman John Adams. She was an activist
for…show more content… She was an educated woman, in a fortunate situation, where she was able to express her views politically. In her letter she wrote, "If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation." This letter was written at a time when husbands were serving in the military, leaving their wives to take over the responsibilities of running the family farm or business. Abigail Adams begged her husband to please, "Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and immitation of the Supreem Being make use of that power only for our happiness."
This letter urged John Adams and the other members of the Continental Congress not to forget about the nation’s women, when fighting for America’s independence from Great Britain. The purpose of Abigail Adams' letter to her husband was to inform him that the role of women was changing. She wanted him to know that women needed to be treated equally to men and to not put all of the responsibilities on the men. Abigail's letter to her husband was an effective way of letting him know that he needed to make sure that he and the other members