Abigail Adams Research Paper

914 Words4 Pages
Tara Tidwell Mrs. Lacy Hackney English 9, Pre-AP 20 March 2014 Abigail Adams: The Writer Whose Pen Was Freer Than Her Tongue Widely regarded as the greatest and most efficacious advocate for women’s suffrage during the late 1700s, Abigail Adams was inspired by a variety of different aspects of her life. Adams’ writings and letters have also influenced many notable authors. Married in 1764, her many epistles were addressed to her husband, John Adams. After they married and she became a First Lady, John and she both ran the family farm. They exchanged over 1,100 letters during their lengthy separations for John’s legal and governmental businesses (Adams’ Family 2). Strongly motivated by her want for sovereignty, a very religious upbringing,…show more content…
As a very religious man, Adams’ father taught and instilled in his daughter Christian morals and the idea that she should help others whenever she could. As a result, Adams’ adolescent days were spent visiting the sick and doing deeds for the less fortunate (National Park Service 1). This ingrained in her the idea that she had to be selfless but still be a strong, independent women with religious motives as her guide. With this value rooted deep in her character at a young age, Adams became very zealous about her religion (National Park Service 1). Being so passionate about her faith, Adams sought to share it with as many people as she could. As a product of her passion, Adams showed many religious principles throughout the letters she wrote. On September 16, 1774, Adams wrote a letter to her husband about the fervent praying that she had done while begging John to read her favorite Psalm in the Bible (Butterfield 1). She also asked Louisa Adams, her daughter-in-law, in a letter dated January 3, 1818, “When will mankind be convinced that true religion is from the heart, between Man and his creator, and not the imposition of Man or creeds and tests?” (Webmaster 1). The importance of reason and morality that was within her religious life significantly influenced many of her prominent…show more content…
As a child, Adams often “got away” from her troubles by reading works such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as well as John Milton’s “On Shakespeare”. Adams had no real schooling when she was younger, so to learn she often would study and analyze Milton and Shakespeare’s works. By doing this, she learned and developed her own style of writing as well as her knowledge about how to write. Not only was Adams influenced by their writing but their character as well. In a letter dated November 3, 1787, to her son, John Quincy Adams Jr., she stated, “I want the authority of Milton, to pronounce the state, a perpetual fountain of domestic Bliss. For the words of his character is enough for foundation alone.” (Harvard University Press 103). Adams states that she wants his authority for the pronunciation of the state; thus, revealing that she has a high respect for not only his implausible works but also his character. Although Adams often times spoke about Milton in her writings, her feelings about William Shakespeare’s character was never

More about Abigail Adams Research Paper

Open Document