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Introduction

Written as John Adams had just departed for the First Continental Congress, this letter captures Abigail Adams assuming the full weight of household responsibility while urging her husband forward in his public duty. It responds to John’s earlier departure letter and sets the tone for a correspondence that blends private affection with the earliest stirrings of revolutionary resolve.

Letter Text

I hope you will not think it unreasonable in me to write to you so often, as I know not what else to do, nor can I be easy without conversing with you, though by letter only. The affection I feel for you is so strong, and my dependence upon you so great, that I find it difficult to reconcile myself to your absence. I am anxious for your safety and your health, and feel the weight of responsibility that now rests upon me at home. Our little family looks to me for guidance and support, and I strive to conduct myself in such a manner as to justify the confidence you have always placed in me.

The times are truly alarming. The spirit of the people is rising, and there is much talk of resistance to the measures of the British ministry. I pray that wisdom and moderation may prevail, yet I cannot help but feel that great events are unfolding, and that you are called to act a part in them. Whatever may be the outcome, be assured that my heart is with you, and that I shall endeavor to discharge my duties faithfully until your return.

HAL 1776 Commentary

This opening letter establishes the core dynamic of the Adams correspondence: Abigail as steward of the home and moral conscience of the family, and John as an increasingly public figure drawn into the machinery of resistance. From the outset, their letters are not merely personal exchanges but parallel records of private endurance and public transformation—two fronts of the same revolutionary struggle.

Source

Founders Online, National Archives.
Abigail Adams to John Adams, 7 July 1774.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/04-01-02-0009