Date: March 31st, 1776
On this day March 31st, the wife of John Adams, the former president of the United States, sent a letter to her husband urging him and the other members of the Continental Congress not to forget about the nation’s women. This was especially important, as this occurred at the time of America’s fight for independence from Great Britain. The future first lady’s letter focused on the new code of laws that would need to be written when the United States finally gained its sovereignty. In her letter, Abigale Adams urged that the writers of the laws “be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.” Up until this point, women’s rights had been something that, though some individuals may have supported and believed in, was a topic that was not publically discussed, especially by men in politics.
Adams, who strongly believed in the need for the discussion to be opened up, and the topics addressed, used this private moment to take the first step in the fight for equal rights and the right to vote. The letter, which came 150 years before the passing of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote, came at the perfect time and in the best circumstance. With the union of John and Abigail Adams being seen as a union of mutual respect and affection, along with the timing of the separation of the United States from Great Britain, the letter and the words of Mrs. Adams are something that women to this day hold in high esteem.
—Alexandra Grant