George Washington & Abigail Adams

Long seen as a key event in United States history, the American Revolution continues to draw considerable attention from historians and to generate substantial public interest.

- Eric Arnesen

Bookshelves are filled with works on the Founding Fathers, the men who spearheaded an unprecedented revolt against British rule and won independence for the American colonies. The founders we celebrate were men. Perhaps this should not be surprising, given that this was a world in which only men could serve in the military and participate publicly in politics. American historian Linda Kerber once wrote about this era, “women rarely played the role of independent actors in the political arena. Instead, society conceptualized them as dependents whose menfolk would speak and act for them in economic, political, and legal affairs.” Yet women, too, participated in the Revolution. Their involvement, however, took different forms than that of their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons.

George Washington…