What education should girls and women receive?

OCR: 4 cited passage(s) are machine-read (OCR) text of old printings; quotations reproduce the stored OCR text, misreadings included.

1. WHAT SHE SAID (the record)

Record ledger

• BELIEF (1776-04-14): Abigail Adams believed that girls required a different education from boys, but she did not specify what that education should be. She said that Abby, because of her sex, required a different education from John and Charles, and she left the judgment of what that education should be to John Adams. "The first, by reason of her sex, requires a different education from the two I have mentioned. Of this, you are the only judge." [1]
• BELIEF (1776-08-14): Abigail Adams believed that women should receive literary accomplishments, arguing that if much depends on the early education of youth and the first principles instilled take the deepest root, then great benefit must arise from such education for women. (key quote above) [2]
• BELIEF (1776-08-14): Abigail Adams believed that girls and women should receive a more liberal and comprehensive education. She argued that educated women were necessary to raise heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, and she expressed concern about the current neglect of education for daughters. "If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women." [3]
• BELIEF (1776-08-25): Abigail Adams believed in the importance of education for women, arguing that women with knowledge and ambition often contributed to the eminence of great men through their precepts, example, or instigation. "Your sentiments of the importance of education in women are exactly agreeable to my own." [4]
• BELIEF (1778-06-30): Abigail Adams believed that women should receive the same education as men, arguing that it would enhance their value and that it would not diminish men's influence over them. She grounds this belief in the equality of natural abilities between the sexes and the benefits of acquired learning. (key quote above) [5]
• BELIEF (1778-06-30): Abigail Adams believes that female education in her country is 'trifling, narrow, and contracted' and expresses a desire for more liberal and comprehensive education for women. She supports the idea that women should receive an education that is not ridiculed and that acknowledges their accomplishments, citing Dr. Shebbeare's view that women have more delicate sensations and can offer true and natural judgment in matters of polite writing. "I regret the trifling, narrow, contracted education of the females of my own country... women have, in general, more delicate sensations than men; what touches them is for the most part true in nature." [6]
• ACTION (editor's note) (1783-09; editor's note, not her words): Abigail Adams was not sent to any school. The editor reports that she did not enjoy an opportunity to acquire accomplishments because of her delicate health and the limited educational opportunities for females at the time. "I never was sent to any school." [7]
• BELIEF (1791-02-21): Abigail Adams believed that children, including girls, should be taught morality and first principles from an early age, and she recommended Dr. Watts's 'Moral Songs for Children' as an effective tool for this purpose. "I have a great opinion of Dr. Watts's 'Moral Songs for Children.' They are adapted to their capacities, and they comprehend all the social and relative duties of life." [8]
• BELIEF (1805-06-05): Abigail Adams believed that girls and women should receive an education that qualifies them for the useful and domestic duties of life, including the proper use and improvement of time. She emphasized that the finer accomplishments such as music, dancing, and painting are supplementary, while the foundation should be formed of more durable colors. Her belief is grounded in the idea that women should be able to order and regulate their families, govern domestics, and train up children, as this is the purpose for which the Creator made woman an help-meet for man. (key quote above) [9]
• BELIEF (1813-02-18): Abigail Adams believed that a well-informed woman, conscious of her nature and dignity, is more capable of performing the relative duties of life and engaging and retaining the affections of a man of understanding. She argues that a sound understanding, united with virtuous habits and principles, is essential for women to fulfill their roles effectively. "It is very certain, that a well-informed woman, conscious of her nature and dignity, is more capable of performing the relative duties of life, and of engaging and retaining the affections of a man of understanding, than one whose intellectual endowments rise not above the common level." [10]

What cuts against it

• ACTION (editor's note) (1783-09): Abigail Adams did not receive a formal education, as the editor notes, "I never was sent to any school." [7]

• BELIEF (1805-06-05): Abigail Adams emphasized practical domestic skills and moral instruction over intellectual pursuits, stating, "It behoves us ... to give our daughters and granddaughters ... an education as shall qualify them for the useful and domestic duties of life." [9]

• BELIEF (1791-02-21): Abigail Adams focused on moral instruction for children, including girls, recommending Dr. Watts's "Moral Songs for Children" for their early education. [8]

2. HOW IT APPLIES (reasoning; inference is marked)

1. Abigail Adams believed that women should receive a liberal and comprehensive education, arguing that it was essential for raising virtuous and capable individuals. [2]

2. She grounded this belief in the equality of natural abilities between the sexes and the benefits of acquired learning. [5]

3. However, she also acknowledged that female education in her time was often limited and ridiculed, with most women receiving only basic instruction in writing, arithmetic, and occasionally music and dancing. [11]

4. Despite advocating for intellectual development, she also emphasized the importance of moral instruction and practical domestic skills for women. [9]

5. There is tension in her views: while she championed education for women, she also left the specifics of a girl's education to men and emphasized traditional roles for women. This suggests competing readings of her position. [1]

3. HER TAKE

Record coverage: PARTIAL

The record is silent on whether Abigail Adams supported co-educational institutions or formal schooling for women. She never addressed the question of whether girls should be educated in the same institutions as boys or whether they should have access to higher education.

Extrapolation: Abigail Adams likely supported a more liberal education for women than was common in her time, but she also emphasized traditional roles and moral instruction. Her views suggest a belief in women's intellectual capacity but with a focus on their roles as wives and mothers.

Competing readings: One reading is that she advocated for women's intellectual development to support their roles in society. Another is that she prioritized moral and domestic education over intellectual pursuits. The record itself supports both readings.

Confidence: Moderate. The evidence is partial and includes both progressive and traditional elements, with no direct statement on the question.