How Did Abigail Adams Impact Society

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Abigail Adams helped plant the seed that would give women more rights in a country that had been founded on the ideals of equality and independence. Mrs. Adams was one of the earliest women’s rights activist and will always influence America’s women. While John Adams was at the Constitutional Convention shaping the document that would set the tone of liberty and equality for all Americans, Abigail wrote to him often, expressing her concern that the nation did not give full equality to the people, mainly women. Although her husband didn’t listen to her, Abigail’s plea to “Remember the Ladies” greatly impacted America in years to come. Adams’ words did not have a great impact on America in the late eighteenth century, but it marked the beginning …show more content…
When a woman committed to marriage, her property rights were taken away and her husband gained full control over them. In Abigail Adam’s eyes this was extremely unfair and unjust. In the book, Abigail Adams a Revolutionary Woman, Jacqueline Ching states, “After marriage… a woman did not even have the rights over her own children.” Once a man and a woman got married, the wife’s children, land, and even herself were now the husband’s property. Abigail Adams wrote to John often discussing her views on marriage and the family. She believed that women should not be happy being considered property of their husbands and treated as servants. Women have the right to assist in decision making when it comes to the family. The wives of the household are not servants and do not deserve to be treated like one. Many women that lived in the 1800s were forced to cook, clean, and nurture the children. They had many household chores and responsibilities, yet were still treated poorly. Although he usually did not take her pleas into account, future government officials listened to her and applied her thoughts to help America grow