"I'll stand by you. I'll stand by you. So if you're mad, get mad. Don't hold it all inside.   Come on and talk to me now. I'll stand by you." (Chrissie Hynde, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg, 1994)

For his unwavering views on independence, John Adams'  peers found him  to be "unwilling to face reality."  Therefore, in 1776, during the Second Continental Congress, he had very few allies. His wife, Abigail, was one.

Welcome to the February 2022 Edition~ The Empowered Colonial Woman

Abigail is an excellent testament to the colonial wife's strength, fortitude, and power. Left alone to raise her children and tend the farm in Braintree, Massachusetts, she has little time for trifles like arguments among obstinate men over independence. ("You make everything so complicated. It's all very simple. Just tell Congress to declare Independency! Then sign your name get out of there, and hurry home to me!")  If it were indeed that simple!

However, Abigail does recognize the need to support and assist her husband in pursuing independence.

When Adams writes to Abigail regarding the pursuit of the war, he requests that she and the colonial ladies make gunpowder. She agrees only after demanding that he send her pins. ("We've gone from Framingham to Boston, and we cannot find a pin. Well, we will not make saltpeter until you send us pins!" )  He agrees. With that, we see Abigail's ability to negotiate with the "obnoxious and disliked" congressman.

As the story continues, the declaration is read in Congress. The passage regarding abolishing slavery is debated. When writer Jefferson and slaveholder Rutledge cannot resolve their differences, (Rutledge: "They are not people, they are property!" Jefferson: "No sir! They are people being treated as property! The rights of human nature are deeply wounded by this infamous practice!"), Rutledge walks out of Congress, taking the south with him.

Discouraged, John writes to Abigail and laments his circumstances and the life he has given his wife.

"The precious cause for which I have labored these several years has come to nothing!   Has it been any kind of a life for you? I haven't given you very much. I have always been dissatisfied. I know that. But lately, I wreak of discontentment! It fills my throat, and it floods my brain. Sometimes I fear there is no longer a dream, only the discontentment."

Abigail responds with understanding and uses John's word to bolster his spirit:

"John, can you really know so little about yourself? Can you think so little of me that I'd marry the man you've described? Have you forgotten what you used to say to me? Commitment Abby. There are only two creatures of value on the face of this earth, those with a commitment and those who require the commitment of others."

As John completes his letter, gift-wrapped kegs of saltpeter arrive. The note reads, "all for you, John! I am as I ever was, and ever shall be, yours, yours, yours!"   illustrating  Abigail's love and unwavering commitment to her husband and his cause.

Commitment, strength, and love make Abigail Adams not only an empowered woman but an unforgettable one as well.

Thank you for joining me to look at a somewhat overlooked empowered woman. If you have a kind comment to share about this or any other blog, I would love to hear from you.

~~Lori