Liberator in History: Abigail Adams
We often talk about the architects of American democracy as if it were crafted solely by strong men who stood alone, which is far from the truth. John Adams was one of the leading voices of the American Revolution—first as a delegate to the Continental Congress, then as a diplomat sent overseas to secure alliances, and eventually as the second president of the United States.
His service meant long absences from his home in Massachusetts, often three or four years at a stretch. Through it all, his wife, Abigail Adams, managed their farm, raised their children, handled the finances, negotiated with neighbors, and kept the family business afloat. And she did it while writing the letters to her husband that would become some of the most powerful moral guides of the founding era.
At that time, the world allowed her no vote, no office, and no formal platform. But from their farmhouse in Braintree, she wrote to her husband in Philadelphia as the new nation was taking shape, urging him to “remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.”
She reminded him that “all men would be tyrants if they could,” and warned that if lawmakers continued to place “unlimited power in the hands of husbands,” women would feel compelled to “foment a rebellion” and ”not hold ourselves bound to any laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.” It wasn’t meant to be a threat, just the level-headed truth from a woman who understood what happens when a democracy is built for only part of the population.
Her letters became a lifeline of clarity for her husband throughout the Revolution. She spoke up for education for girls when most dismissed it as unnecessary. She denounced slavery as a “most shocking violation of the laws of nature and of humanity.” And she challenged the idea that power belonged to the few, insisting that virtue and wisdom, not gender or status, should determine who gets to lead. When her husband became president, Abigail remained anything but silent. She continued to speak her mind openly on politics, education, and justice.
The fire for democracy that Abigail helped spark 250 years ago still needs tending. As we watch rights rolled back, voices ignored, and protections eradicated, we remember her words: “What is the history of mighty kingdoms and nations but a detail of the ravages and cruelties of the powerful over the weak?”
Her courage is a reminder that democracies don’t survive on their own. They survive because ordinary people, often working in the background, choose to stand up, stay awake, and keep pushing the promise of freedom forward. This is what liberators do. And this is what liberation for the many is all about.