Remember the ladies

[boston bean]

In a letter dated March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams writes to her husband, John Adams, urging him and the other members of the Continental Congress not to forget about the nation's women when fighting for America's independence from Great Britain.

The future First Lady wrote in part, "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."

Nearly 150 years before the House of Representatives voted to pass the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, Adams letter was a private first step in the fight for equal rights for women. Recognized and admired as a formidable woman in her own right, the union of Abigail and John Adams persists as a model of mutual respect and affection; they have since been referred to as "America's first power couple." Their correspondence of over 1,000 letters written between 1762 and 1801 remains in the Massachusetts Historical Society and continues to give historians a unique perspective on domestic and political life during the revolutionary era.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abigail-adams-urges-husband-to-remember-the-ladies

It is still a long hard slog. Remember the ladies.... SCOTUS... we are (at least I am) determined to foment a rebellion.

[Scuba]

1. K&R

[shenmue]

2. Yes

[ismnotwasm]

3. Nice

[JustAnotherGen]

4. My trick response to a founding fathers

Popularity contest yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5195904

Aside from a brilliant political mind - she was to me - a flawless UU of her time. Social Justice is not a meme nor is it the sole idea of the RC Church. It's everyone's responsibility.

[lunatica]

12. She was a true Feminist

She ran the farm and took care of the kids while her husband was in England and Vice President as well as President. That's why we are lucky enough to have her letters. She was an amazing women, way ahead of her time.

[JustAnotherGen]

16. I loved how she asked him

For needles/pins because she could make trades with them. Love her - I should write a What Would Abigail Do book!

[Tree-Hugger]

17. Please do

That would be an awesome book.

[sheshe2]

5. Yes!

[proReality]

6. K&R n/t

[mcar]

7. K&R for Abigail Adams

What would she think of us today? Not much, I fear.

[davidn3600]

8. I doubt Abigail Adams was thinking about birth control when writing such letters

If you told her in 1800 where women will be in 2014, she'd likely be incredibly pleased.

Today the idea that women need birth control to feel liberated is a new and liberal idea and not really something every woman is marching in the streets for. Heck, according to Gallup, women can't even agree with each other on abortion rights.

You keep talking about this massive coming wave of women united and going to the polls to vote out old conservatives.... I'm sorry, maybe it's just because of where I've lived in the South for so long...but I don't see that happening at all. Republicans have more female allies than you seem to realize. 45% or more of women WILL vote for the GOP nominee in 2016. That's the reality of our political landscape right now.

If it happens and 80% of women vote out Republicans...great. But I ain't betting money on that happening. Women don't vote as a cohesive bloc based on single wedge issues. Conservative women are not going to change their voting habits because the Supreme Court ruled that their employer doesn't have to pay for their birth control.

[boston bean]

9. There were people who felt the right of women to vote was radical.

Take the post as an inspiration.

Have a good day!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

13. This election season might surprise you, davidn3600.

Be amazed. Life is good and full of amazing things.

[cyberswede]

15. You have absolutely no idea what AA was thinking when she wrote that.

Today the idea that women need birth control to feel liberated is a new and liberal idea...

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/news/2013/08/08/71893/scarlet-letters-getting-the-history-of-abortion-and-contraception-right/

The notion that contraception, like abortion, is a relatively new phenomenon is also wildly distorted. Since ancient times women and men have been using a variety of contraceptive methods beyond abstinence, and the pill is the only type of birth control that was not available until recent decades. Contraceptive methods historically include everything from “pulling out” to diaphragms and condoms. Distribution of and public education about birth control was legal in the United States until 1873, when the infamous Comstock Act was passed.

------
And birth control pills *did* liberate women.
http://www.religiousconsultation.org/News_Tracker/birth_control_pills_helped_empower_women_changed_world.htm

Why do you feel it necessary to pop into a positive thread and crap all over it?

[Lars39]

19. Someone that progressive was probably *very* much aware of "French letter" , ie condoms,

and could easily make the connection between large numbers of offspring and poverty.

[MadrasT]

21. We are not here to have men's babies on their demand.

Fuck that.

Control over our reproductive systems is an *essential* element for the full liberation of women.

Deal with it.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

32. I fully support that ...

... and I fail to see how the OP is in opposition to that goal.

[MadrasT]

33. The OP is not in opposition to that goal.

My post was in response to reply #8, not the OP.

[mercuryblues]

22. well

I certainly have not studied AA. However as a woman she most certainly would have been concerned with birth control methods. The earliest document contraception methods documented are in 1550 BCE. and 1800BCE.

I am willing to bet every woman has been concerned about preventing pregnancy throughout history.

[davidn3600]

23. That's not really my point...

Abortions were performed even in ancient times. But until recently it was always a dangerous procedure...more dangerous than regular child birth (which was also dangerous). If an abortion was not done properly, the woman could easily bleed to death or contract a fatal infection. Only in the last hundred years have we learned about how infections happen. Before 1900, doctors had no sterilization techniques and surgeries were incredibly unsanitary. If a woman wanted an abortion in the 19th century, she relied on luck to survive it, literally. We just simply didn't have the medical knowledge we have today.

Birth control really didn't have much footing until the mid-1800s. The contraceptive techniques that was used before then was primitive and only occasionally effective. The tools we have today simply didnt exist back then. The techniques then also didn't cost much money. So people didn't have much a issue with paying for it.

Today we are arguing about whether religious corporations should be forced by the government to pay for birth control pills. The idea of such a thing would have never crossed the mind of the colonials...nor even the early feminists.

[A Little Weird]

24. Well back then corporations weren't people

So a "religious corporation" wouldn't have been on anyone's mind.

[mercuryblues]

25. religious corporations

contrary to popular belief HL is a for profit craft store; it is not a religious entity. Corporations were formed to insulate the owner from the business if the business was sued in order to protect the owner's personal assets. That is another side effect of this ruling. It tore down that wall by saying an owner of a corporation is the corporation for religious beliefs.

Actually it is HL forcing the governments hand in this by denying certain insurance coverage to a certain segment of society, based on their corporation having religious beliefs. Women who pay for their insurance have to also pay out of pocket for a legal FDA approved prescription; based on the corporation that employs them religious beliefs. The government already allows for exemptions for real religious entities.

In the HL case the women employees work for their medical benefits. Women pay for insurance coverage. Now a woman has to pay for what her boss refuses to cover through the insurance she works for.

[Louisiana1976]

28. And that's wrong. We need single payer.

[cyberswede]

26. Nor would have the idea of insurance covering Viagra have occurred to them. So?

Employers that provide health insurance should provide insurance that covers the health care of their workers. All of it. Including contraception for those who need it.

...and nice phrasing:

Today we are arguing about whether religious corporations should be forced by the government to pay for birth control pills. The idea of such a thing would have never crossed the mind of the colonials...nor even the early feminists.

[CTyankee]

34. AA says "Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands."

It seems to me that she was arguing that women should have a say in their governance. That she didn't spell out birth control or abortion is beside the point. The point is that they have always been of concern to women and without women's representation in governing their issues would not be heard. The issue was then -- and is now -- whether women have a say in politics that affect them.

[Squinch]

30. Wait! I thought Elizabeth Hasselhof was your go-to source for

information on the position you should take on feminist issues.

Shoot. Now I'm all confused.

But not surprised that such a post should come from you. Not one bit.

[BainsBane]

31. If there is anyone who is no position to talk about what women want

It's you. The idea that a full half of the human race should agree on anything is beyond absurd. Most men, for example, thankfully disagree with you on most issues.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. This makes me want to read a biography of her.

I see a trip to the Library in my very near future.

Thanks for the OP, Bean.

[Tree-Hugger]

18. "Dearest Friend" is a good one to have. nt

[Tuesday Afternoon]

20. Thank you, Tree-Hugger. I will look for that one. I am going to the Library

this afternoon.

[Wounded Bear]

11. Methinks any "forgetfulness" of the ladies is by choice...

They're not "forgetting" anything. They're trying to re-write history and the civil rights of half the population.

[treestar]

14. A great woman

I love the little threat to foment a rebellion!

[William769]

27. There are many great Ladies to remember from that time

And from then till present.

And one of my very favorite movies to watch is Iron Jawed Angels.

[Louisiana1976]

29. Excellent post. K&R