Mercy Adams Writes

James Peale , The Artist and His Family, (1795) (Source:  Republican motherhood - Wikipedia ) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While reading biographies of Mercy Otis Warren and Abigail Adams, who were not only peers, but also close friends during the War for Independence, I often find the term "Republican Motherhood" used to describe them and other ladies of that time who cherished their role as homemakers, but also did what they could to promote liberty. These founding ladies weren't "feminists," but they were intelligent and helpful to their husbands and the other men leading the charge for our independence from Great Britain. They also believed education for both sexes would be instrumental for a free society.  Wikipedia tells us: "Republican Motherhood" is an 18th-century term for an attitude toward women's roles present in the emerging United States before, during, and after the American Revolution . It centered on the belief that the patriots' d...

I'm presently reading Minds & Hearts: The Story of James Otis Jr. and Mercy Otis Warren by Jeffrey H. Hacker  published in June of 2021 by Bright Leaf.  I appreciate the author giving us a closer look into the Otis family and especially these two siblings to whom we owe so much of our independence from Great Britain.  Something I've gleaned from the book are the traditional values Mercy Otis Warren held. I've read biographies of her that emphasize her writing and politcal insight, but not so much of her dedication to her husband, sons and home. It's truly wonderful to read of this housewife whom the Lord has used so greatly in our American history.  I encourage you to get this book and read her amazing story. Here is a review posted at The Journal of the American Revolution website:  Review: Mind and Hearts: The Story of James Otis Jr. and Mercy Otis Warren - Journal of the American Revolution (allthingsliberty.com) For Mercy's professional accomplishments...

  The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, announces a complete break with Britain and expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' Source:  Founding Documents in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom   National Archives Museum ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them ...

 Nathan Eshelman, a pastor in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America   has been so kind as to remind us of the noble Presbyterian history of our great nation in his blog post at Gentle Reformation . As you celebrate Independence Day in America, please contemplate this part of our Christian heritage and please give thanks to God for the freedoms and religious liberty (while not perfect) we still enjoy today. ~Mercy Adams Enjoy Your Freedom? Thank a Presbyterian. Published July 2, 2019 As those of us in the United States this week celebrate freedom from British governance, consider the many ways that Presbyterianism influenced the decision to enter a war for independence and take up arms against a magistrate: Only a Presbyterian understanding of Romans 13 would allow us to enter a war. The Bible calls for submission to magistrates, but Presbyterians understood the nuances that allowed for rebellion against tyranny. (See James M. Wilson's Establishment and Limits ...

"You have this day to declare yourself head of a nation. "And now, O Lord, my God, Thou hast made thy servant ruler over the people. "Give unto him an understanding heart, that he may know how to go out and come in before this great people; that he may discern between good and bad. "For who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" were the words of a royal Sovereign; and not less applicable to him who is invested with the Chief Magistracy of a nation, though he wear not a crown nor robes of royalty... "Though personally absent...my petitions to Heaven are that 'the things which make for peace may not be hidden from your eyes.' "That you may be enabled to discharge them with honor to yourself, with justice and impartiality to your country, and with satisfaction to this great people, shall be the daily prayer of your Abigail Adams." (Taken from America's God and Country , by William J. Federer) And so we have the words of one of Am...

 Liberty Fund has made available History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution written by Mercy Otis Warren . According to the book's description, Mrs. Warren had a unique perspective on the historical events unfolding in her lifetime and was "Steeped in the classical, republican tradition, Warren was a strong proponent of the American Revolution. She was also suspicious of the newly emerging commercial republic of the 1780s and hostile to the Constitution from an Anti-Federalist perspective, a position that gave her history some notoriety." You can purchase Mrs. Warren's book here:  History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution - Liberty Fund . Kirsten Anderson Birkhaug has written a review of the book which is posted at Law & Liberty .  Here are some highlights from her review  Enduring Memories of the American Revolution: Alexis de Tocqueville metaphorized his thoughts on nations when he wrote that “the...

 Encyclopedia Virginia gives us a snapshop into the life of Virginia Statesman and great orator Patrick Henry. Let's take a look at his formative years: Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736, at Studley plantation in Hanover County. His father, John Henry, was a planter, mapmaker, and justice of the peace who was educated at Kings College, Aberdeen; his mother, Sarah Winston Syme Henry, was a former widow from a prominent family. Henry was the second of their nine children. He was educated by his father and by his uncle the Reverend Patrick Henry, rector of the Hanover parish , Saint Paul’s. Though Henry held true to his Anglican beliefs throughout his life (becoming an Episcopalian after the American Revolution), as a youth he regularly accompanied his mother to sermons given by the evangelical Presbyterian Samuel Davies , whose oratorical example had a strong influence on Henry. Here we have a hint of the Christian foundation that guided Mr. Henry throughout his amazing life, ...