Abigail Adams writes to her husband, John Adams, expressing her concerns about sexism as John Adams attends the Continental Congress of 1776. Abigail Adams remains at home in Braintree, Massachusetts to guard the couple's farm. Abigail continues to be a leader in women's rights due to the influence she had on people in the 18th century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Women's rights had their suffrage. Men in the 18th century had the ability to degrade women by limiting the right to vote, unfair pay for work (if work was offered), or by defending the few rights they had. While many improvements have been made in the area of sexism, women today continue to struggle with rights that are different from those of men. Women would not have made it this far without strong leaders who went against society's undocumented norms in a time of difficulty. In the 18th century, to gain the respect of men, one had to occupy a higher rank. The first lady, Abigail Adams, was one of the most important influencers of feminism and many still admire her today. Abigail was the wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams, Abigail Smith Adams, Charles Adams, Thomas Boylston Adams, and Susana Adams. Her husband, John Adams, became president in 1797, making her the second first lady of the United States, which gave her a step up in leadership and the ability to command society's respect. Being an advocate for married women's property rights, she had a goal of helping those around her who she knew were struggling internally but could not talk about it openly for fear of grave consequences. Abigail was a prominent figure for many people during that time, she fought for women's rights in a difficult position, receiving many negative reactions, but continued to support her cause despite the scorn of others. Abigail Adams was born in Weymouth, Massechusettes and later moved to Braintree, Massechusettes with John but during John's presidency the two were separated for a considerable portion of their marriage due to John having to attend the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and at your service in Europe. Because of the feeling of separation the two wanted to feel closer so they decided to start writing letters back and forth. In 1776 John Adams had left for the Continental Congress held at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. During the marriage the couple had written many letters to each other because they were so far apart. The most important of these letters were those written on March 31 and April 14, 1776. In her letter, Abigail wrote to John, explaining her problems and concerns about being an 18th-century woman. She believed that women could not submit to laws not made in their best interests, nor should they be content with the simple role of companions to their husbands. In Abigail's letter of 31 March 1776 she suggested that John "remember women and be more generous and favorable to them and their ancestors". since Abigail had a feeling that the continental congress would have a grudge against women, she wanted to put the thought in John's head that it's not just about women in general, but includes his loved ones as well. Abigail states that “men are by nature tyrannical,” highlighting the fact that men at the time would not have considered women's rights during types of encounters like these. Her letters represent a huge turning point for women's history, because it appears to be the first account in which a woman speaks out_1882.
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