“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America.”
With this quote extracted from a letter by John to Abigail dated July 3, 1776 the reader gets a rare glimpse into the making of myth. John Adams was there. He was integral to the composition and debate and rewriting and voting and passing of the Declaration of Independence and in his view the day that American declared its independence from Britain is very clear and precise: the 2nd of July. How could John Adams have been so wrong? Myth pauses for no man.
“I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.”
A theme running throughout these letters is Abigail’s proto-feminism and John’s gentle—but nevertheless chauvinistic—dismissal of it. Abigail no doubt did have some influence on her husband, but it is worth remembering he was just one man in a stifling hot room in Philadelphia at the height of summer wearing wool. Really, what chance did have? Still, it is fascinating to read a dialogue between a headstrong woman and an equally headstrong man discussing women’s rights in a manner that reveals a genuine respect for each other.
“Dr. F. proposes a device for a seal: Moses lifting up his wand and dividing the Red Sea, and Pharaoh in his chariot overwhelmed with the waters. This motto, `Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.’”
One of the fascinating things about these letters is the glimpse into what might be termed an alternative American history. For instance, if Benjamin Franklin had had his way, the Official Seal of the United States would feature a scene from the Bible. Imagine the battle today over the meaning of separation of church and state if that come to fruition.
“After stirring up Tories, land-jobbers, trimmers, bigots, Canadians, Indians, negroes, Hanoverians, Hessians, Russians, Irish Roman Catholics, Scotch renegadoes, at last they have stimulated the —— to demand new privileges and threaten to rebel.”
The tide of revolution is turning as a broad cross-section of individual special interests are all coming together for a common purpose. The missing component here that has been stimulated that is represented here by a “___” is left unexplained, but it would appear that Adams was suggesting there are yet more to bring under the tent of supporting revolution.
"He damped my spirits greatly by telling me that the Court had prolonged your stay an- other month. I was pleasing myself with the thought that you would soon be upon your return. It is in vain to repine. I hope the public will reap what I sacrifice."
Although the correspondence between these two legendary figures in American history mentions famous men and features as backdrop the creation of a new nation, it must be remembered that ultimately what you are reading are love letters between a husband and wife so deeply devoted to each other that they despite the hardships and the pressures each faced still made time to sit down and write these letters by hand almost every day; certainly a few times week at the very least. These are two people separated from each other not just by distance in which some areas were actively engaged in war. A husband taking part in an incredibly frustrating process designed for the purpose of doing something unprecedented and a wife aching to be with her husband, but fully aware of the significance of his work. The most emotional expressions have nothing to do with extemporaneous issues, but with the universality of missing your soul mate.
