In 1910, the New York World asked Barton to nominate her
top eight American women for a Woman’s Hall of Fame. She chose the following:
Abigail Adams
Lucretia Mott
Lucy Stone Blackwell
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Frances Dana Gage
Maria Mitchell
Dorothea Dix
Mary A. Bickerdyke
Over the following weeks, I hope to report on the work
each of these women accomplished to earn a place in Barton’s most admired
list. It will be interesting to see how these
women compare and contrast, which begs the question, who would Barton nominate
from the women who achieved great things after Barton’s death?
Our first nominee is (Mrs John) Abigail Adams.
Photo courtesy of
masshist.org
Born Abigail Smith in 1744 at Weymouth, Massachusetts,
she died in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1818.
Her husband, John, was the second President of the United States and her
son, John Quincy was the sixth President of the US. Best known for her published letters to and
from her husband advocating for women’s rights and giving insightful advice as
his confidante, Abigail raised their six children and managed the family farm
largely in his absence.
During the organization of the nation, Adams wrote her
husband,
Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable 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. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.
And her husband replied,
As
to your extraordinary code of laws, I cannot but laugh. We have been told that
our struggle has loosened the bonds of government everywhere; that children and
apprentices were disobedient; that schools and colleges were grown
turbulent; that Indians slighted their guardians, and negroes grew insolent
to their masters. But your letter was the first intimation that another tribe,
more numerous and powerful than all the rest, were grown discontented.– This is
rather too coarse a Compliment but you are so saucy, I won’t blot it out. Depend
upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems. Although they are
in full
force, you know they are little more than theory. We dare not exert our power
in its full latitude. We are obliged to go fair and softly, and, in practice, you
know we are the subjects. We have only the name of masters, and rather than
give up this, which would completely subject us to the despotism of the petticoat,
I hope General Washington and all our brave heroes would fight; I am sure every
good politician would plot, as long as he would against despotism, empire, monarchy,
aristocracy, oligarchy, or ochlocracy.**
The Adams’ during his
Presidency
Photo courtesy of
wickedlocals.com
A friend of Martha Washington, she assisted in conducting
parties at the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia, and moved into the White
House as first lady during its construction.
An
older Abigail Adams, while First Lady, 1797-1801
Photo
courtesy of rightwords.eu
One of the most interesting remarks found on the internet
was that she did not attend school, as if that damaged the quality of her
education. During her lifetime girls
generally did not receive an education, but considering the remarkable
handwriting and thoughtfulness of her ideas, it seems obvious that a good
education could be found outside of school, and in fact can still be found that
way today.
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