The Quest to Succeed as a Republican Mother: Abigail Adams's Message to Her Son Emily Lundberg 11th Grade

The idea that “all men are created equal” is a philosophy that drove American revolutionaries during the late 18th century and though women were specifically left out, those who championed the doctrine believed that women in their lackluster intelligence and strength possessed a sense of morality that surpassed that of any man. As a result it fell upon the women to raise proper citizens for the new nation in what became known the principle of Republican Motherhood. In a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, Mrs. Adams exerts her power as a mother by strategically arranging an ethos-based argument intertwined with allusion and optimistic diction to leave her son with little room for rebuttal.

Mrs. Adams sets the stage for the rest of her letter in the first paragraph by noting the context of the letter and reaffirming the decision that allowed the situation to become a reality. Though she began with warm wishes for his safety, she quickly shifted her tactics and in a condescending yet matronly tone she acknowledged her son’s “reluctance” to accompany his father on a trip to France but pointed out that he is not “capable of judging” what’s the proper thing to do. This immediately conveyed the message that it is to be accepted...