Summary Of Dearest Friend: A Life Of Abigail Adams

I. Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams is a New York Times bestselling biography, written by Lynne Withey. The contents of the book mainly revolved around the life of Abigail Adams, who became the most influential woman in Revolutionary America. This happened in large part due to being the wife of patriot John Adams, the nation's influential second president. Throughout her time, Abigail kept the farm in Braintree, Massachusetts, bore six children, which included two daughters who did not live, and maintained an interest in politics and current events. John Adams spent years traveling, first to Philadelphia and then to Paris and London, which left her to take care of everything at home. She eventually accompanied John to London, and to
Lynne Withey’s biography, is an excellent portrayal of this amazing woman. Lynne Withey brought Abigail Adams out of her husband's shadow, explained why and how she had become an early advocate for the emancipation of women, and handled these two difficult tasks with both skill and sensitivity. Through this, I was able to acquire a sense of who Abigail Adams was, which helped me to enjoy the book itself. Withey made excellent use of sources of everything from colonial child rearing practices to demography and the workings of republican ideology. She kept the grand events of the time, as well as John’s career, firmly in the background, always focusing upon Abigail and her life. Along the way, Withey is able to reveal the complex character of Abigail's lifelong concern for women's rights. She always believed, too, that men and women were by nature different and the inhabitants of entirely different social circles. But that was precisely the point: because they occupied their own social circles, each with its own rights and privileges, neither had the right to impose its will unjustly upon the other, any more than England had had the right to violate the liberties of American colonists. Withey had not only brought Abigail to life, but also added new depth and richness to the reader’s understanding of the intricate history of feminist thought. There are so many examples of this, and quotes from her letters and correspondence that it really felt like I was reading the opinions of Abigail Adams. It was fascinating to read them and witness how her opinions changed, specifically over political parties. I also loved receiving the female perspective on the events of her day, and it only increased my enjoyment of the book upon learning that Abigail Adams and I share many of the same values. I agree with the book’s conclusion, because… The book supported what I read in the textbook “ghslkgjsd” on the same subject. For example, “QUOTE.” I did not detect any bias on the