my dearest friend letters of abigail and john adams

Unfortunately, highly placed officials showed a natural tendency to try to assume more and more power. Unchecked power in the hands of a small group of individuals would inevitably bring disaster, and popular rights and liberties would be sacrificed. “'Power corrupts' was their most persistent message. English infringement on American rights was the consequence of the concentration of power. Despite a passionate belief in the necessity of independence from England, it was a belief built on convictions of moral virtue. Her mother, Elizabeth Quincy, was from one of Braintree's most prominent families, but was an industrious household manager who passed on those skills to her daughters.Īs might be expected, such a background primed Abigail for a socially conservative outlook. Everyone farmed, either full or part-time. Extended families were the rule since both opportunity and motive to move outside the area were lacking. Her father, William Smith, was a congenial minister in the rural backwater of Weymouth. Her family background was one of rural quasi-gentry. Withey has sifted through the voluminous correspondence of the Adams family to show how Abigail was shaped by the unique experiences of her time and place. Our attitudes toward feminism, economics, government, and diversity have changed dramatically from the viewpoints of colonial America.

Here, the time gap is one of over two centuries. Historian Lynne Withey labors, for the most part successfully, in bridging the gap of time and experiences that any reader encounters with a biography.

My dearest friend letters of abigail and john adams