Interactive Research of the Letters between John and Abigail Adams

Introduction

John Adams who was a former President of the United States of America and his wife Abigail Adams have a collection of letters they wrote to each other, which are abundant in the American history (Adams & Adams 1975). The letters have other issues like marriage, family, politics, social lives, revolution and religion discussed. Abigail performed her roles well as the presidential advisor as she was interested in the American politics and was dedicated to supporting his husband in whichever way that would make him stable and functional as a president. The following paper is going to focus on the challenges both Abigail and John Adams faced while they were away from each other and the role of religion the American Revolution. Additionally, the paper is going to discuss the various problems that the civilians faced during the revolution period.

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While at home, and when John Adams was away, Abigail faced some problems like poor health as Adams would occasionally ask Abigail about the status of her health. The health conditions would be mostly contributed to by the cold climate times at specific times of the year. Additionally, Mrs Mifflin occasionally enquired about Abigail Adam's health from John Adams whenever they met (Adams & Adams September 1975). Also, Abigail got so busy at times and lived a recluse life where she only went to limited places say to greet her parents, family members, and her in-laws. Abigail when in the United States of America had to sustain their marriage by the use of letters which were rarely written due to the time factor. Another challenge was that some of the letters would get lost before they got to their destination and thus communication was not smooth between Abigail and John Adams. The bombardment of Boston was another significant incident that took place in the United States of America while John Adams was in Europe and threatened the security of John Adam's family (Adams & Adams 1975, September).

Adam also faced some hardships when he was away from Abigail. One of the significant challenges was the drought which affected his cows and other livestock substantially and made Adam long to return home where his cattle would be more at peace. Adams did not also like the fact that Abigail had to take care of the family including the husbandly roles when the husband was away. He missed his family and his children as he says that they were always in his mind and never departs his heart (Adams & Adams September 1975).

Secondly, Adams was profoundly saddened by the bombardment of Boston as she received the news from Abigail through a letter she had written to Him. The bombardment caused insecurity in the United States of America thus posing a threat to the security of John Adams family. More saddening was the fact that Adam was not there to comfort Abigail as she was going through this harsh experience together with his family. Thirdly, the Congress meetings were very tiring as Adam, and the other members of the board would sit for long hours as they tried to discuss the governance issues in their country. The fatigue was evident as the meals were always taken in the evening hours and Adams hardly had any time left to write back to Abigail. Despite taking too long in the meetings, the business was always so tedious, slow progress and not productive (Adams & Adams 1975) "We go to the Congress at Nine, and there We stay, most earnestly engaged in Debates upon the most abstruse Mysteries of State until three in the Afternoon, then we adjourn, and go to [Dinner] with some of the Nobles of Pennsylvania, at four O'Clock and feast upon ten thousand Delicacies, and sit drinking Madeira, Claret and Burgundy till six or seven, and then go home, fatigued to death with Business, Company, and Care" (Adams & Adams September 1975).

Additionally, Adam was not pleased by the behaviour of the people in the Congress as they rarely agreed on matters nor brought each other's ideas together and used them for their benefit. Instead, each one of them wanted to prove their expertise in their ideas, views, and their designs. "Fifty Gentlemen are meeting together, all Strangers, are not acquainted with each other's Language, Ideas, Views, and Designs. They are therefore jealous, of each other-fearful, timid, and skittish" (Adams & Adams September 1975).What's more, Adams was irritated by the fact that the members of the congress mainly came to show off their political capabilities for competition purposes, criticism purposes and display their oratory skills which brought insignificant progress to the Congress. "I am wearied to Death with the Life I lead. The Business of the Congress is tedious, beyond Expression. This Assembly is like no other that ever existed. Every Man in it is a great Man-an orator, a Critic, a statesman, and therefore every man upon every question must show it his oratory, his criticism and his political abilities" (Adams & Adams 9th October 1774).

During the revolution in the United States of America, the civilians faced some hardships which included harsh climatic conditions, sickness, insufficient food and clothing and poor sanitation in the areas of residence. The climate was frigid at the time of the revolution, yet the civilians did not have enough clothing to keep them warm. The civilians also faced economic hardships since there was inflation and the price of commodities like food went up making it challenging for the civilians to purchase the food items (Adams & Adams 9th October 1774). Some of the civilians lost their lives as a result of the economic hardships. Additionally, the civilians lived in much fear that their families would be killed in the ongoing wars in their country.

Religion was to act as a unifying factor for all the races of the people in the United States of America in the American Revolution. The division was because the religious leaders believed that revolution was a godly act. However, the revolution split some denominations as a lot of competition, pride and showoff are witnesses among the different denominations though they had the same political views. Denominations were divided in their religious sentiments like the Episcopalians, some Quakers, Anabaptists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists. This division prevented them from worshipping together during their meetings, which threatened the unity of the country as religious leaders are meant to bring people together. Adam describes his preference on the choice of the denomination. Personally, Adams preferred the independent church as they had better sermons, softer music and better speakers as compared to the Presbyterians and the Episcopal Church. On the other hand, Adams viewed the Roman Catholic Church as one that was deceiving the simple and the ignorant. He pitied the Roman Catholic followers who chanted the rosary beads without an idea of what they were praying for all in the name of religion and refers to their sermons as "moral essays" (Adams & Adams October 1975). It was awkward how the church was so divided, and yet it had the same political principles.

According to John and Abigail Adams, human nature and virtue are all expressed by the way people treat each other which is directly related to the value that they place on people. They appreciate the acts of kindness from their friends in their daily interaction with them. From Adam's and Abigail's letters, it is evident that the two are frustrated by their separation. The evidence of their frustration is seen in the letters they write to each other. The introductory paragraph of Abigail's letters states that she longs for the return of Adam "I dare not express to you at 300 hundred miles distance how ardently I long for your return" (Adams & Adams 16th October 1775). Adam, on the other hand, keeps mentioning about his return though he is not very sure of the exact date of his arrival. Elsewhere in their letters, Adam wishes that he was there to console Abigail due to the challenges she was undergoing both personal and those that related to the state.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the resilience of Abigail and John Adams during the tough times was of great necessity in the history of the United States of America. During the revolution, Abigail remained strong and supported John as the president of the United States of America. Abigail also functioned well as a presidential advisor as she was brilliant and interested in the politics of the United States of America.

Work Cited

Adams, A., & Adams, J. (1975). The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784. UPNE.