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Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March - 5 April 1776
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Choose an alternate description of this item written for these projects:
- Witness to America's Past
- MHS Collecting History
- MHS 225th Anniversary
Abigail Adams wrote her most celebrated letter in the spring of 1776 to husband John, then attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. In this letter, Abigail urges John to "Remember the ladies" and protect women's rights in the new American government. John was in the midst of formulating his ideas about the types of governments to be organized in the former colonies and in April published his essay Thoughts on Government. In Massachusetts, the British evacuation of Boston on 17 March freed American minds to contemplate their future, government, America's relations with foreign powers, slavery, and the status of women.
This letter has been transcribed as part of the Adams Papers editorial project; Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March 1776 (from the Adams Papers Digital Edition).
John Adams responded to Abigail's request to "Remember the ladies" in the letter he wrote on 14 April 1776. Read the transcript from the Adams Papers editorial project; Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 14 April 1776 (from the Adams Papers Digital Edition).
Abigail summarizes her ideas and written exchanges with John regarding "a List of Female Grievances" in a letter she writes to Mercy Otis Warren on 27 April 1776. Read the transcript from the Adams Papers editorial project; Letter from Abigail Adams, 27 April 1776 (from the Adams Papers Digital Edition).
In May, John writes to James Sullivan and discusses issues relating to voting rights. Read the transcript from the Adams Papers editorial project; Letter from John Adams to James Sullivan, 26 May 1776 (from the Adams Papers Digital Edition).