In A Founding Mother, Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie argue that the American Revolution and the establishment of the republic were fundamentally dependent on the uncredited and often dismissed labor of women. Through the life of Abigail Adams, the novel reveals a parallel, domestic revolution where women’s work in managing households, securing finances, and facilitating political discourse was essential to the nation’s survival. Abigail’s tireless efforts on the farm, her shrewd entrepreneurship, and her essential role as a political advisor and social diplomat demonstrate that the new nation’s success was built upon contributions rendered invisible by a patriarchal society that refused to acknowledge their value.

From the moment John Adams leaves for the Continental Congress, Abigail assumes the full weight of maintaining the family’s existence, a burden that goes far beyond simple housekeeping. She single-handedly runs the family farm in Braintree, contending with wartime scarcity, rampant inflation, and a destructive dysentery epidemic that sweeps through her household. This labor is a contribution to the revolutionary cause; by keeping the farm productive and her family solvent, she frees her husband to dedicate himself to the nation’s political formation. Her work is a constant, grueling battle against forces both natural and political.