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Lesson

Abigail Adams: “Remember the Ladies” Mini DBQ

Duration
85 min
Grade
9–12
Published
Nov 15, 2020
Portraits of a woman in a blue dress and a man in a black coat, both depicted in pastel style.
Use this lesson with the Mercy Otis Warren Narrative and the Judith Sargent Murray Primary Source "On the Equality of the Sexes" to allow students to discuss gender roles and expectations in the founding period.

Founding Principles

Equality

Objectives:

  • Students will examine gender roles during the time of the American Revolution by analyzing excerpts from the letters of John and Abigail Adams written between 1775 and 1776.
  • Students will systematically analyze primary sources by answering comprehension questions for each document.
  • Students will write a thesis statement that responds to a document-based question prompt.

Materials

Lesson Components

ActivityAbigail Adams: “Remember the Ladies” Mini DBQ Packet

Excerpted versions of letters between John and Abigail Adams that explore the theme of independence and showcase the role of women in the Colonial world.

Lesson plan

85 minClick a phase to open it

More Information

Abigail Adams’s letters to her husband can be compared with the writings of Mercy Otis Warren Narrative and Judith Sargent Murray Primary Source.

Standards

Advanced Placement

  • Topic 3.6 · Social Consequences of Revolutionary Ideals
  • Theme · Social Structures
  • Learning Objective · Unit 3F
  • Historical Development · 3.2.1.D
  • Reasoning Skill · Sourcing and Situation
  • Reasoning Skill · Claims and Evidence in Sources
  • Reasoning Skill · Contextualization
  • Reasoning Skill · Argumentation
  • Reasoning Process · Comparison

Check whether this resource aligns with your state’s standards →

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