Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2008 Republican mothers of and above their time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston Joanna Lyn Reynolds West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Reynolds, Joanna Lyn, "Republican mothers of and above their time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston" (2008). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 787. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/787 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. 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Republican Mothers of and above Their Time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston Joanna Lyn Reynolds Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Mary Lou Lustig, Ph.D., Chair Ken Fones-Wolf, Ph.D. Katherine Aaslestad, Ph.D. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2008 Keywords: Republican Mother, Abigail Adams, Theodosia Burr Alston Copyright 2008 Joanna Lyn Reynolds ABSTRACT Republican Mothers of and above Their Time: Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston Joanna Lyn Reynolds Unique in their time, Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston possessed intellectual accomplishments, social prominence, and economic status. Also, both women enjoyed supportive marriages with influential husbands as well as proximity to leading male figures of the Revolution and the new nation. Yet, similar to other women of their era, Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston nurtured their children’s educational and moral development, supported their husbands’ public service, and kept informed about current events. While marked differences in lifestyle, geographic environment, familial dynamics, and the public and political affiliations of their male family members distinguished them from each other, as Republican Mothers, they contributed to the success of the republican experiment. The American Revolution, with its emphasis on virtue and public service, and Enlightenment philosophy, with its emphasis on reason and the perfectibility of the individual, gave birth to a new female ideal: the Republican Mother. Though this specific term would not be coined for two centuries, during the era of the American Revolution and the new Republic, contemporary writers, philosophers, and political and religious leaders espoused the tenets of the ideal. While this new image of women still implied the domestic role as a woman’s most important and proper position in her society, it also underscored the need for better educated women. Specifically, society entrusted women with instilling virtue, disinterested service, and patriotism in their children—especially the male children, who would become the Republic’s future leaders. In addition to gaining education for the sake of becoming effective teachers of future leaders, women needed to become capable of managing business affairs in the absence of men, who might be called at any moment into public service. The conviction of contributing service to the nation found a pronounced emphasis in the Revolutionary era. As legacies of Puritanism, duty and public service resonated just as strong in late eighteenth-century America as in previous generations. Although a generation separated Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston, they became extraordinary examples of Republican Mothers. DEDICATION To my mother, Judy Reynolds, and Dr. Mary Lou Lustig, often my second mother away from home—two of the best examples of virtuous, invested, and selfless mothers a woman could hope to be. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS From the beginning of my undergraduate studies at WVU, Dr. Mary Lou Lustig encouraged me and spent countless hours advising me and reading drafts of seminar papers. When I pursued graduate work, she patiently guided my thesis through countless proposals, research questions, chapters, and revisions. Dr. Lustig gave me the confidence to persist with my studies and my thesis. Not only is Dr. Lustig a fascinating professor, dedicated historian, and exceptional writer, but she is genuinely concerned and invested in students’ development and general well-being. I am eternally grateful that I was lucky enough to be one of her students. In addition to Dr. Lustig, my committee members, Dr. Ken Fones-Wolf and Dr. Katherine Aaslestad, provided insight, valuable feedback, and encouragement. I enjoyed several of Dr. Fones-Wolf’s and Dr. Aaslestad’s courses at WVU, and my writing and research skills improved due to their influence. I appreciated their patience throughout this long process in light of their busy teaching, research, and family obligations. At WVU, Dr. Lustig, Dr. Ken Fones-Wolf, Dr. Aaslestad, and Dr. Elizabeth Fones-Wolf were my primary professors during my undergraduate and graduate studies. I thank them for creating comfortable, professional, and intriguing classroom environments and for always unknowingly offering a positive perspective, grain of advice, and word of encouragement when it was needed most. Furthermore, I am grateful to the staff of the WVU Libraries system, particularly the Wise Library staff, who were so helpful in facilitating countless interlibrary loans and assisting me with my research. My family has supported me through every test, paper, presentation, project, challenge, and success. Often, they accompanied me on research trips and stayed up late with me as I studied or worked on papers. They always expressed an interest in my work and never gave up on me in the more difficult times. I owe everything I have achieved to their love and support. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: ABIGAIL ADAMS ..........................................................................23 The Emergence of Republican Motherhood CHAPTER TWO: THEODOSIA BURR ALSTON ....................................................64 Republican Motherhood and Education in the Next Generation CHAPTER THREE: ABIGAIL ADAMS....................................................................107 Legacies and Lessons of Republican Motherhood CHAPTER FOUR: THEODOSIA BURR ALSTON.................................................135 Legacies and Lessons of Republican Motherhood CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................161 BIBLIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................169 Introduction Abigail Adams (1744-1818) experienced firsthand the birth of the new independent nation while Theodosia Burr Alston (1783-1813) witnessed the formation of the new Republic. Unique to other women of their time, Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston lived much of their lives in urban environments and circulated in the most prominent social and political spheres of their day. Both women flourished intellectually, encouraged by the men closest to them. Accordingly, they gained the respect of society and exercised a considerable personal and professional influence upon their husbands and sons. While Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston differed from most other women, they also represented thousands of women in their respective generations who exemplified the values, dispositions, and duties associated with Republican Motherhood. Modern historians, notably Linda K. Kerber and Mary Beth Norton, invented the historical construct of Republican Motherhood to describe the unique station assigned to women in the new nation. Specifically, “Private virtue became a public good. Political theory merged public virtue (the ability to do what was good for the society as a whole) with private virtue…. By modeling and teaching virtue, women could influence their sons and husbands to be good public citizens.”1 The theory was that “a successful republic…required virtuous families… [and] 2 women, in their maternal capacity, would ensure the existence of the virtuous families.” 1 Joan R. Gunderson, To Be Useful to the World: Women in Revolutionary America, 1740-1790 (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1996), 147. 2 Mary Beth Norton, “The Evolution of White Women’s Experience in Early America,” The American Historical Review, vol. 89, no. 3 (June 1984), 618. 1 Moreover, women needed to educate their