FFQF: The Heroine

See what’s up with today’s FFQF at Meet the Founders blog

We’re continuing the theme of “the importance of motherhood” for the month of November. Not being as informed and educated as the illustrious Hercules Mulligan of The Foundation Forum, I have had to work more on this topic than anything in a long time! But at long last, I found a wonderful portion of a discussion between John and Abigail Adams.

John Adams spent many long years away from his family in Massachusetts, to serve in various positions during America’s fight for independence. He and his wife Abigail exchanged bookloads of letters. Their letters have been preserved, and it is a very delightful hobby to read through them. John and Abigail were so witty and strong-minded and smart. The letters are far from dull! I found a small section of their conversation about women’s roles in society.

Abigail wrote, complaining to John that she was not educated enough to teach her four children. She bewailed the condition of a woman’s education in general.

…with regard to the education of my own children, I find myself soon out of my depth, destitute and deficient in every part of education. I most sincerely wish that some more liberal plan might be laid and executed and that our new Constitution may be distinguished for encouraging learning and virtue. If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women. …If much depends, as is allowed, upon the early education of youth, and the first principles which are instilled take the deepeest root, great benefit must arise from literary accomplishments in women.

Her husband John wrote these encouraging words back:

Your sentiments of the importance of education in women are exactly agreeable to my own… In reading history, you will observe, when you light upon a great character, whether a general, a statesman, or philosopher, some female about him, either in the character of a mother, wife, or sister, who has knowledge and ambition above the ordinary level of women, and that much of his eminence is owing to her precepts, example, instigation, in some shape or other.

I have to wonder exactly where Abigail thought she was “deficient” in educating her own children, because they grew up to be brilliant scholars. Her eldest son, John Quincy Adams, knew over 6 languages fluently and at age 14 served as secretary to the American ambassador to Russia! Of course, he later grew to be our sixth president, but he also served in Congress and many other positions. I think Abigail did a marvelous job. She is a true “hero” in my book of mothers! And when John Quincy Adams grew up and was asked the secret of his success and of his Christian integrity, he said, “All that I am, my mother made me.”

What a testament to the power of a godly mother!