The most well known icons of our nation’s history, the founding fathers, developed our Declaration of Independence, led us into the war for independence, and wrote the laws of our government.
However, while the majority of people, including women, were excluded from those moments in history, their contributions to the forming of our nation were enormous. In a multi-part series, Civics Shorts focuses on some of the women that journalist Cokie Roberts called “the founding mothers.”
First up: the four wives of our founding fathers: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolly Madison, and Eliza Hamilton.
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Nick Capodice:
I'm Nick Capodice.
Hannah McCarthy:
And I'm Hannah McCarthy. All right, Nick, when you think about the most fundamental players in the early history of the United States, who comes to mind,
Nick Capodice:
The founding fathers, right?
Hannah McCarthy:
Sure, of course. That's what the history books say. But as the founding fathers developed, our Declaration of Independence led us into the war for independence and wrote the principles of our government. There were many, many women whose contributions to our early history were enormous.
Nick Capodice:
Civic shorts is focusing on the women behind the founding of the United States in a multipart series. First up, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolly Madison and Eliza Hamilton for Wives of Our Founding Fathers.
Christina Phillips:
Ok, hold up. That doesn't mean we have to defy these women just because of who they were married to. I'm Christina.
Jacqui Fulton:
And I'm Jacqui. And today we're talking about a couple women who made a significant impact on the founding of our nation.
Christina Phillips:
Have you ever heard the phrase history is written by the winners?
Jacqui Fulton:
Right. The people who decide what matters are the ones who have the power together.
Archival Presidential Audio:
We have made history here today and the ability with a sense not only of the moment in history, but also of history itself to record our history. We have it within our power to make history and pass it on. Let's not be afraid to do so.
Christina Phillips:
And when we think about the founding of our nation in our early democracy, those winners, our founding fathers, were predominantly white, educated, wealthy men who could read and write.
Jacqui Fulton:
They were the authors of our founding documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The people should have as little to do as possible with the government. The election of the larger branch must be by the people, the people are dupes!
Jacqui Fulton:
And their letters, speeches, autobiographies and diaries. Help us understand how our government came to be.
Christina Phillips:
But that leaves out a huge portion of our history from and about people who weren't in these positions of power. In fact, the majority of people were excluded from the moments we learned about from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the writing of the Constitution. Not only could women and enslaved people not vote, many couldn't read and write either because it was discouraged for women or outright banned for enslaved people. A lot of what we study in our nation's history comes directly from those founding fathers, and it's based on what and who they deem important.
Jacqui Fulton:
Are you saying that this history is not the right history?
Christina Phillips:
It absolutely is our history, but it's not the complete history. There are a lot of stories left out. Now, before we begin, it's important to recognize that these women still have a great deal of privilege.
Jacqui Fulton:
They were white women who were married to very powerful men and had access to some education and wealth not afforded to the majority of the population.
Christina Phillips:
We want to focus on how they turned that privilege into action. So let's start with the MVP of strongly worded letters, Abigail Adams. "A people may let a king fall, yet still remain a people. But if a king let his people slip from him, he is no longer a king. And as this is most certainly the case, why not proclaim to the world in decisive terms your own importance?"
Christina Phillips:
That was Abigail writing to her husband, John Adams, founding father and future president of the United States in July 1776.
Jacqui Fulton:
Wait a minute. Why aren't we starting with Martha Washington? Her husband was the first president of the United States.
Christina Phillips:
Remember what else happened in 1776? On July 4th, the founding fathers declared independence from Great Britain. So as that was happening, Abigail Adams was telling John Adams by letter why she thought it mattered that the colonies take a stand. Most of what we know about Abigail Adams is through the letters that she and her husband wrote to each other throughout their marriage, like most women at that time. Adams was not formally educated, but she learned to read and write in her family's extensive library and developed an interest in politics.
Jacqui Fulton:
Why was she writing John Adams letters instead of talking to him in person?
Christina Phillips:
This is something we see a lot from the wives of the Founding Fathers while their husbands were debating and steaming hot rooms about the future of our country and then leading the war for independence, their wives were in charge of running their homes, raising their children and taking care of the finances. And Abigail recognize the importance of herself and other women. Here she is in another letter in 1776.
Christina Phillips:
"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."
Christina Phillips:
And she wasn't afraid to manage the family money as she thought best. While John Adams wanted to buy and manage more land, Abigail decided to invest their money in government bonds. She referred to these investments as money I call my own. After the Revolutionary War, John Adams continued to turn to Abigail like in 1797 after he was elected president. He wrote to her that he had never wanted her advice more in his life.
Christina Phillips:
"I am highly pleased with your criticisms and observations on my adieus to the Senate, their answer and my reply before. Now you have a long speech, which I hope you will discount on as learnedly and ingeniously."
Jacqui Fulton:
What about Martha Washington?
Christina Phillips:
Ok, let's take a step back to the Revolutionary War, when George Washington was then a general and commander in chief of the continental forces. Here's the scene. In the fall of 1777, the British took Philadelphia after defeating the Continental Army there, and Washington realized he needed somewhere to bring his 12000 troops for the winter.
Jacqui Fulton:
Yeah, it's not like they could hop on a plane and go home for winter break in between battles. They needed a place to live.
Christina Phillips:
Washington decided that that place was Valley Forge, which was about 20 miles from Philadelphia. As you can imagine, 12000 wounded, cold, hungry soldiers gathering in one place to hunker down for the winter requires a lot of food, coats, blankets, shelter.
Jacqui Fulton:
I'm hungry and cold just thinking about it.
Christina Phillips:
And Martha Washington, who in her first marriage and her marriage to George Washington had overseen her family's plantations and the enslaved people there had the management experience for the job.
Jacqui Fulton:
She arrived there in February of 1778 and put her skills to work, organizing supplies, managing the domestic staff, including enslaved people, and establishing sewing circles of women and children to repair uniforms.
Christina Phillips:
It's estimated that 2000 of those 12000 men died that winter of disease and starvation. But without Martha Washington, that number may have been even higher. She later established the Ladies Association of Philadelphia with Esther to read this association organized women to raise money and contribute to the war effort. And Washington helped spread ladies associations throughout the colonies.
Jacqui Fulton:
Let's jump ahead past the Revolutionary War and after the Constitutional Convention to win our baby, federal government was up and running.
Christina Phillips:
That young government was soon dominated by two feuding political parties, the Federalists and the Democratic Republican Party. This was the beginning of that political polarization. That's a key component of our government to this day.
Audio Clip:
Did we not fighting a bloody and costly revolution to rid ourselves of British contagion.
Jacqui Fulton:
And Dolly Madison, who is the wife of James Madison, our fourth vice president, really shaped the role of first lady.
Christina Phillips:
She bridged growing gaps between the two political parties using the best method she knew throwing a party.
Jacqui Fulton:
Yeah, I can see the perks of working with your political opponent that way.
Christina Phillips:
Everything's always easier with food. The other responsibilities she took on included working with local charities and decorating the White House, which served as a model for first ladies to come.
Jacqui Fulton:
Ok, last but not least, Eliza Hamilton.
Christina Phillips:
After her husband was killed in the famous duel against Aaron Burr in 1884, Eliza raised their seven children under enormous financial strain. But she also recognized the importance of her husband's legacy. She gathered and preserved her husband's writing and insisted it be archived in the Library of Congress.
Jacqui Fulton:
She even sent out questionnaires to her husband's colleagues to learn more about his work and her expertise was essential for when her son, John Church Hamilton wrote the book The History of the Republic of the United States of America.
Christina Phillips:
Ron Chernow, who wrote the book, Alexander Hamilton, which later inspired the musical, said of Eliza: Her efforts made it easier to research Alexander's life because after his death, his enemies were in power.
Jacqui Fulton:
She also founded the Orphan Asylum Society, New York's first private orphanage, which aided over 700 children.
Christina Phillips:
So the next time you hear about the founding fathers, take a second to remember the ladies. They might not be in your history book, but that doesn't mean they didn't make a huge difference. This episode was produced by me, Christina Phillips, with help from Jacqui Fulton, Hannah McCarthy Nick Capodice and Michalski. Erica Janik is our executive producer. Music in this episode by Blue DOT Sessions. You can listen to more Civics 101 at civics101podcast.org. Civics 101 is a production of NHPR New Hampshire Public Radio.
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