Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 14 April 1776 [excerpt]
Ap. 14, 1776 [Philadelphia]
[. . .] As to Declarations of Independency, be patient. Read our Privateering Laws, and
our Commercial Laws. What signifies a Word.
As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh. We have been told that our
Struggle has loosened the bands of Government every where. That Children and
Apprentices were disobedient -- that schools and Colledges were grown turbulent -- that
Indians slighted their Guardians and Negroes grew insolent to their Masters.
But your Letter was the first Intimation that another Tribe more numerous and powerfull
than all the rest were grown discontented. -- This is rather too coarse a Compliment but
you are so saucy, I wont blot it out.
Depend upon it, We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems. Altho they are in
full Force, you know they are little more than Theory. We dare not exert our Power in its
full Latitude. We are obliged to go fair, and softly, and in Practice you know We are the
subjects. We have only the Name of Masters, and rather than give up this, which would
compleatly subject Us to the Despotism of the Peticoat, I hope General Washington, and
all our brave Heroes would fight.
Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 14 April 1776 [electronic edition]. Adams Family Papers: An
Electronic Archive. Massachusetts Historical Society. http://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/
