Preview

John and Abigail Adams Summary and Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
439 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
John and Abigail Adams Summary and Analysis
John Adams, was gone for a good portion of their marriage and they missed each other so they start to to write letters to each other during the time of the Second Continental Congress. .A lot of the letters concerned domestic items, the managing of the farm.They wrote about the boys, and their education. Sometimes she just felt lonely and told him so in a letter.They also wrote about the home front of the war.

Abigail Adams seems to be more of a self-sufficient and self-reliant homemaker than anticipated. As for John Adams, he seems to express his feelings toward Abigail more in the film than in the letters. Gender issues are apparent in both the film and the letters. The film showed Abigail Adams as a woman who does not seem to have trouble with getting by on her own. It shows that abigail was a woman ahead of her time.

In the letters between them is possible to realize them opinion about the southern colonists. Abigail did not have a chance to meet southerner colonists and this may have contributed to her skepticism about the South. Abigail's views are made clear in a quote concerning slavery: “I have sometimes been ready to think that the passion for Liberty cannot be Eaquelly Strong in the breasts of those who have been accustomed to deprive their fellow Creatures of theirs. Of this I am certain that it is not founded upon that Generous and christian principal of doing to others as we would that others should do unto us.” In other words how can you southern slave holders really believe in Liberty as strongly as we northerners when you deprive others of the very thing you claim to seek. Of course both her husband and herself became good friends with Thomas Jefferson, a southern slave holder, during their time on diplomatic missions in Europe so her feelings toward the south may have been ambiguous.

Also in the letters is possible to realize that he believed that independence would probably be necessary. Congress, however, was not yet willing to agree,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Abigail Adams' insightful letter of advice did not only inspire her son, but the children of America. As the wife of 2nd president John Adams, her involvement politically was unavoidable, so she implanted the ideas of environmental and political proactivity via a well composed letter to her son. This letter's success cannot be based on its concept alone, but also by its employment of formal language and historical/biblical allusions to ascend her ethos into that of great American history.…

    • 194 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Abigail was self taught at home by her parents. During those days women weren't allowed to go to school. She felt embarrassed about her writing skills because she couldn't spell and didn't use proper punctuation in letters she wrote. John Adams was dating Abigail…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Adams believed strongly that it was constitutional and appropriate for the federal government to sponsor broad programs to improve American society and prosperity. He backed Henry Clay's proposed "American System," envisioning a national marketplace in which North and South, town and country, were tied together by trade and exchange. To realize this vision, Adams proposed to Congress an ambitious program involving the construction of roads, canals, educational institutions, and other initiatives. Lacking congressional allies, however, Adams was unable to maneuver most of these programs into law. Congress also blocked many of his foreign initiatives. His support of the so-called Tariff of Abominations of 1828, which protected American interests but caused higher prices, cost him popularity among the voters.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abigail Adams helps give modern people an insight into the life of a remarkable colonial correspondent. She understood important issues that tore the new nation apart. Abigail showed her affection for her country and her husband by documenting her life for all to read. Without her letters, America would not be as well informed about the Revolutionary War and the second President as it is today.…

    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In John’s letter to Abigail, his response to her is much of a joke or a laughing matter. In the opening of John’s letter, he states, “We have been told that our struggle has loosened the bands of government everywhere.” In this statement, John is primarily articulating to Abigail that since the founding fathers have chosen to declare their independence from Britain, people everywhere have been rebelling. John insinuates that if he were to just give women their equal rights, then they would abuse these rights against men. At the conclusion of his letter, John states, “at last they have stimulated the to demand new privileges and threatened to rebel.” Johns statement presents facetiousness, by explaining that women have too finally decided to…

    • 124 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    First, both stories are about independence, women, and men. In “Letter to John Adams”, they say that if particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies, they will be much determined to foment a Rebellion. They say not to put unlimited power into the hands of Husbands, and they say that they will not hold themselves bound by laws where they have no voice or representation. In “Letter to John Adams”, they say that Men must be happy to willingly give up the vicious title of ‘Master’ and trade it for the much more endearing one…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This paved a way for the Declaration of Independence, which led to congress nominating him to take part in revising and finalizing the…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a letter written to her son, Abigail Adams effectively uses irony, parallelism, and allusion to advise her son that he is the only person who defines his future and he must learn how to push past adversity when it arises in his path to his future.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abigail Adams writes a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams; who is traveling with his father. (1744-1818) In the letter she is "advising" her son to learn from his father and brother, making his parents proud, but mainly her.…

    • 73 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is surprising with the letters is they survived the times and through someone’s writing you understand how they feel about issues. The historical significance of these letters correspond with the times and show how influential Abigail was on her husband. During John Adams time in France Abigail would write letters to John. However, the letters would take weeks to arrive because it had to travel across the ocean. John was paranoid that his letter would get intercepted by the British and published so he wrote very little. For example, in one letter Abigail said, “Let me entreat you to write me more letters….. They are my food by day and my rest by night”. Also some of the letters were about hardship of the farm and with the war she wanted him to send luxury items. Abigail wanted to sell the goods from France so she could make a profit in Massachusetts. All of the letters were not all about good times and she was not afraid to speak…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Adams was involved in two major documents. The first document he took part in was the Declaration of Independence. John Adams along with Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman were the ones who took part in drafting the Declaration of Independence. Another document he played a major role in was the Treaty of Paris. He went to Europe with Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens to negotiate peace from Great Britain. This later ended the Revolutionary War and the treaty was signed in September 3,…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Growing up Abigail never attended a real school; she was barely even home-schooled. At home she hardly learned to read and write, and she was taught little music or dance to develop the girly charm. During this time the colonies acted as though education for females was not a necessity so when Abigail was taught it happened at home and she was usually taught by her parents, older sister, or her grandparents. Abigail was never taught the rules of writing and it was not until the marriage of her older sister Mary to Richard Cranch that allowed her to get involved with literature. “To our dear and venerable Brother Cranch do I attribute my early taste for letters; and for the nurture and cultivation of those qualities which have since afforded me much pleasure and satisfaction.” It was because of Mr. Cranch that Abigail learned of her writing techniques that later played a large role in her life. The literary works of many men opened Abigail to a new world of literacy. It was from writers like John Thomson that gave Abigail a sense of pleasure in reading. His writings taught her about the life she already knew and also to “expect moments of beauty and pleasure but also times of destruction and sadness.” Abigail learned a significant amount of information by reading and she did not…

    • 1378 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this paragraph there will be information about John Adam’s family and childhood. John Adam’s enjoyed hunting when he was a child. He also got a scholarship to Harvard University at age 16 and graduated at age 20. He studied the law in office. John Adam’s then married a woman named Abigail Smith. He had six kids, Abigail, John Quincy, Susanna, Charles, Thomas Boylston, and Elizabeth.…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Quincy Analysis

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Mothers don’t have an easy job. They watch as their children grow up. They watch as their children leave off to college. They watch as their children live as adults. Surely it was a struggle during the time period (1780s’) in which Mrs. Abigail Adams watched her sons become men in all the unfairness life gave. Adams writes to her son, John Quincy, for the purpose of advising him on the journey to France.…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abigail posses an immoral persona and many of her actions are unethical. She wants one thing and one thing only, John Proctor, a married man. She participates in infidelity and constructs a web of lies. She knows that it is a sin to have sex with a married man but continues to proclaim her love for him, “I will not, i cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is you love me yet!” (The Crucible, Act 1). In connection with the infidelity she lies on Elizabeth, Proctor’s wife, and says her spirit stabbed her when in reality she stabbed herself. Similar to her lack of emotions it proves how immoral, unethical, and selfish she really is.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays