Women were a part of early American colonial history, and one of the most "revolutionary" of the period was Abigail Adams, wife of our second president, John Adams. Her story is told through the many letters she wrote to family and friends. In these letters she discusses daily life, political ideas, and feminist thoughts.

Because Abigail and John spent so much time apart, they maintained their courtship and then their marriage through correspondence. During the Revolutionary War Abigail Adams' letters helped John Adams visualize the conditions at home and understand the political views of the colonists. As a matter of fact, he referred to her as his "home front reporter." In her letters to John, Abigail discusses issues confronting Congress, the importance of educating women, and what form of government might be established. In one, while he was in Philadelphia with Congress, she urges him to "Remember the Ladies…we will not hold ourselves bound by any laws by which we have no voice or Representation."

This urging is the inspiration for the song "Remember the Ladies," by Mindy Jostyn. The lyrics in the song relate events and conditions described by Abigail Adams in her letters. Each verse begins with "Dear John" to accentuate that it was through letter writing that Adams was able to express her views. It is our great fortune that she provided us this legacy of the insight of the times.