Question

According to "D2: Abigail Adams wrote letters to her husband arguing that a new form of government could give women equal rights," what did Abigail Adams argue for in her letters?

a) Tax reform
b) Women's equal rights
c) Abolition of slavery
d) Religious freedom

Answer 1

Abigail Adams used her letters to her husband to advocate for women's equal rights, specifically challenges to coverture laws and greater recognition in the new American government's policies.

Step-by-step explanation:

Abigail Adams argued for women's equal rights in her letters to her husband, John Adams. In her correspondence, she urged that the new code of laws being developed by the Continental Congress remember to offer more generous and favorable terms to women, challenging the prevailing legal doctrine of coverture that placed women under the legal authority of their husbands.

Despite running the family farm and advising on political issues, she lacked the legal rights to conduct business without her husband's consent. Her advocacy expressed that if women were not considered in the new government's policies, they might rebel, seeking their own independence and rights. However, John Adams responded with levity to her requests, indicating the difficulties in changing the societal roles of women at that time.