Abigail Adams: Patriot and Women’s Rights Advocate

Abigail Adams: Patriot and Women’s Rights Advocate

During the American Revolution, a patriot was defined as “one who loves, supports and defends one country” (Webster’s Dictionary) Most certainly these qualities were reserved exclusively for the male population of the time. In 1776, words such as androgynous, woman’s activist did not exist. It is difficult to obtain and explain one simple definition of what a patriotic American was around 1776 and the Declaration of Independence. Therefore how can one person give a simple definition of a patriot during the American Revolution? Many people insist that the great political leaders of the time and the soldiers who actually fought in the Revolution exemplified a truly patriotic American. The opinions of today’s society lean towards men such as Thomas Jefferson, General George Washington and John Adams among the most ardent patriots of the time period. However, there is an entire gender omitted when defining the term. ...