On March 31, 1776, when John Adams was meeting with the group that would draft the Declaration of Independence, his wife, Abigail Adams, sent him a letter with some advice:
“In the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors,” she wrote. “Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”
Hearing this quote, the room of mostly women at the League of Women Voters’ Centennial Tea Party chuckled.
The Brown County League chapter hosted the tea on March 8, International Women’s Day, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. Chapter Vice President Pam Raider spoke about the League’s history and the suffrage movement. This year is also marks the League’s 100th birthday.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Author Louise Hillery also spoke to the group of women officeholders, community leaders and volunteers about “Bold Women in Indiana History.”
