A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams

Research other texts that highlight the contributions of the founding mothers. Analyze what this novel adds to the historical record and cultural conversation surrounding the birth of the United States.

The novel chronicles immense personal losses suffered by the Adams family. What does the narrative ultimately suggest about grief, both personal and public?

Analyze narrative structural choices such as the 1814 prologue and inclusion of letters. How do these authorial choices shape the reader’s interpretation of the American Revolution?

A Founding Mother addresses the concepts of greatness and heroism. Based on the narrative, how would these terms be defined?

The theme of The Invisible Labor of Women extends from farm management to social diplomacy. Where is this labor most visible to the reader but least acknowledged by male characters, and what is the significance of that gap?

If you have read Dray and Kamoie’s My Dear Hamilton, compare the portrayal of Abigail Adams to that of Eliza Hamilton. What recurring ideas about women’s political influence and personal agency emerge across their work?

Tea is a recurring symbol throughout the narrative, from the Boston Tea Party to Abigail’s enjoyment of the drink. Given its role in the novel, what might tea represent?

The narrative presents the founding of the United States as paradoxical because the nation was created to establish liberty, yet many enslaved people were not given any freedoms. What other paradoxes are present in the early stages of the U.S.?