Previous: July 5, 1776 – John to Abigail — Reflections on independence and posterity
Next: May 12, 1777 – John to Abigail — Fatigue and diplomatic frustration

Introduction

Written during a harsh winter as the war dragged on, this letter finds Abigail Adams confronting the economic strain felt by civilians far from the battlefield. It replies to John’s recent correspondence and offers a clear-eyed account of inflation, shortages, and the daily hardships endured on the home front.

Letter Text

I cannot determine what to do about our affairs. The scarcity of money and the high price of every article render it extremely difficult to conduct business with any degree of prudence. Every commodity bears so extravagant a price that I scarcely know how families of small fortune can subsist. We are obliged to practice the strictest economy, and even then find it hard to procure the common necessities of life.

The war has brought distress into every household. Those who have property are daily parting with it, and those who have little are reduced to the greatest hardships. Yet amidst all this, the spirit of the people does not appear broken. There is a firmness and perseverance which, I trust, will carry us through every trial. I endeavor to keep our children mindful of their duties and to inspire them with patience and industry, believing these virtues essential in times like the present.

HAL 1776 Commentary

This letter shifts the focus of the correspondence from the drama of independence to the grinding realities of sustaining a revolution. Abigail’s account of inflation and scarcity reveals how economic pressure tested civilian resolve as severely as military defeat. Within the broader series, the letter serves as a reminder that liberty was preserved not only by armies and statesmen, but by households enduring prolonged sacrifice.

Source

Founders Online, National Archives.
Abigail Adams to John Adams, 17 February 1777.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/04-02-02-0143