Essay Example on Two Women, Two Worlds, One Mission: Fighting for Women's Rights

Introduction

In the two stories, both reflect on how women get undermined and how both Abigail and Miss Poly Baker try to fight for women's rights even though they are from two separate worlds. Miss Abigail Adams fights for women's rights by writing letters to her husband so that one can keep in mind women's interest, while Miss Polly Baker advocates for women's marriage rights. Women over the previous generations have faced gender inequality and oppression in the male-dominated society, some of the strong women have tried to liberate them through various setting such as the use of letters and even undergoing trials at the judicial systems.

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Politics

Through politics, Abigail Adams tries to advocate for women's rights by sending letters to her husband John Adams, who belongs to the Continental Congress. Abigail sends the letters to her husband by urging him to keep the women's rights and interests in mind as they prepare to fight for independence. It gets evidenced when she says these words in one of her letters "long to hear that you have declared 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 to them than your ancestors (Adams and Adams 673)

Abigail goes on and explains to her husband how women are mistreated and undermined in male-dominated societies. She goes on further and explains how men use their power in a cruel way to abuse women physically. She fights for women's rights by stating that they will form a group to fight for their rights, and nothing will stop them even if they get bound by the laws which favor the males. "We are determined to forment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation." (Adams and Adams 673).

Abigail also tries to talk sense to her husband concerning women's rights. She tries to ask men to be softer and only use their power to make the women happy but not to oppress them and not to objectify women since they are all equal to each other. It gets evidenced when one says, "Regard us then as then as the Beings placed by providence under your protection and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness." (Adams and Adams 673)

Marriage

In Miss Poly Baker's speech, it gets evidenced that she tries to fight for her rights. This happens when she gets charged five times because she has given birth to children outside wedlock and that she has faced many fines such as public humiliation (Franklin). One goes further and decides to fight for her rights and represents herself before the court of law because she cannot afford a lawyer (Franklin). Miss Poly Baker questions if the law is just in regards to women's rights where she pinpoints out that she has done nothing wrong and that she was once married to a man who left her with a child and was never punished by the Court of Law. One further state that the man who left her is now a Magistrate in the court of laws.

Miss Poly, in her court hearing, goes on further to support her innocence by using the spiritual texts. One explains that she has not committed any crime and that she is innocent since one has done God's work by increasing the population since one has given birth to children outside wedlock. The Author uses Miss Poly Baker to point out the lack of women's rights in society and how the women have no say when it comes to fighting for their rights in the court of law. The Author also shows Miss Poly's willingness to fight for her rights despite being humiliated because of her wrongdoings.

Conclusion

Both women Miss Poly and Abigail, fight for women's rights in different settings. Abigail tries to fight for women by writing to her husband, who is a prominent person and can influence the laws made. Miss Poly, who is judged by her action, tries to fight for the women's rights by pointing out that the law favors men since she was given many fines and humiliated while the husband who had once married her is free and did not face the laws.

Women over the previous generations have faced gender inequality and oppression in the male-dominated society, some of the strong women have tried to liberate them through various setting such as the use of letters and even undergoing trials at the judicial systems.

Works Cited

Adams, J., and C. F. Adams. Familiar Letters of John Adams and his wife Abigail Adams, during the revolution: With a memoir of Mrs. Adams. 1875.

Franklin, Benjamin. Speech of Miss Polly Baker Before a Court of Judicature of Connecticut Near Boston in New England. 1747.