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Remember the Ladies
Author: Raine    Date: 03/31/2011 12:49:52

As we bid adieu to particularly nasty month, let us take a moment for a great Woman:

"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. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."
Abigail Adams in a letter to her husband, John written March 31,1776


It would take nearly 150 years before woman succeeded in securing their right to vote. She was a staunch supporter of women having the right to own property, and believed that slavery was immoral:
A visit below the Mason-Dixon line strengthened Abigail's conviction, passionately shared by her husband, that slavery was not only evil, but a threat to the American democratic experiment. Neither John nor Abigail had any use for Southern slavery accommodationists. On March 31, 1776, Abigail wrote that she doubted the distinguished Virginians in the corridors of power had quite the "passion for Liberty" they claimed, since they had been used to "depriving their fellow Creatures" of freedom.

On February 13, 1791, she wrote to her husband regarding a black servant boy who had come to her asking to go to school to learn to write. Abigail enrolled the boy in a local evening school. A neighbor reported serious objections of several people to the black boy's presence. Swiftly Abigail responded that the boy was "a Freeman as much as any of the young Men and merely because his Face is Black, is he to be denied instruction? How is he to be qualified to procure a livelihood? . . . I have not thought it any disgrace to my self to take him into my parlor and teach him both to read and write." No further complaints were made.
235 years later, issues of civil rights, freedom and equality - the things of which Mrs. Adams was a proponent - are still issues in our Great American Experiment.

What we are now witnessing is an assault of those very things by the GOP. Women's rights, workers rights, and LGBT rights are actively being taken away by the GOP on Federal, State, and Local levels. The struggle continues, but without struggle there would be no progress. March was definitely a horrible month, both here and abroad. It was one that could break spirits. However, just as Abigail Adams struggled forward through adversity and sacrifice, so too can we. This woman saw the birth of our country, the French Revolution, raised 5 children, 2 of whom were somewhat troublesome, one of whom became President. She helped to educate people in order to give them freedom. She staunchly advocated religious tolerance. She never cast a vote, but still pushed the cause for women and minorities. She could have easily given up. She could have lived a life of luxury without care for the plight of others.

So today, on this final day of Women's History Month, please take some time to remember the ladies. We have played a great part in helping to form this nation -- and we are still forming it. The struggle continues to be which direction we will allow it to be taken. 235 years later, there is still a lot to do, not just within our nation's border, but around the globe.

&
Raine

P.S. The Red Sox are in first place! Happy opening day everyone!

 

44 comments (Latest Comment: 03/31/2011 19:23:46 by Scoopster)
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