与约翰的通信
Correspondence with John

(American Memory Collection, Library of Congress)

不要让丈夫们掌握如此无ˇ制的权力。要记住ˇ所有的男人只要可能都会成爲暴君的。

艾碧琪ˇ亚当斯(1744ˇ1818)生于马萨诸塞ˇ主要通过自学阅读了大量历史书籍。1764年嫁给约翰ˇ亚当斯ˇ他当时还是一位年轻的波士顿律师。在亚当斯常年离家忙于公务的岁月里ˇ这对夫妇保持经常通信。在许多年里ˇˇ当约翰ˇ亚当斯出席大陆议会ˇ或到国外当外交官ˇ或当副总统和总统时ˇˇ艾碧琪ˇ亚当斯常给家人和朋友写信描述她自己的生活。她不仅捍卫妇女的权利ˇ而且反对奴隶制。

1776年3月31日ˇ当大陆议会正在认真考虑独立时ˇ艾碧琪ˇ亚当斯写信给她丈夫。在描述了马萨诸塞春天到来的情景后ˇ她提醒她丈夫在制定新法典时要“记住女士们”。在亚当斯1776年4月14日给他妻子的回信中ˇ他把她的“特别法典”视作他爱妻的一个小小玩笑。

艾碧琪给约翰的信

……我盼着听到你们宣布独立的ˇ息。顺便说一下ˇ我ˇ你们将需要立个新法典ˇ在这个新的法典里ˇ我们希望你们能记住女士们ˇ而且要比你们的先辈们对她们更宽大ˇ更好。不要让丈夫们掌握如此无ˇ制的权力。要记住ˇ所有的男人只要可能都会成爲暴君的。如果对女士没有给予特别的照顾和重视ˇ我们就决心煽动大家造反ˇ我们不会让那些我们没有发言权或代表参加制定的法律来约束我们。

你们男人天生霸道ˇ这是确定无疑的事实ˇ毋庸争辩。但是ˇˇ你这样希望得到幸福的人ˇ是很愿意放弃“主人”这个刺耳的称号而换上“朋友”这个更温柔亲切的称号。那麽ˇ你们爲什麽不使那些邪恶之徒和目无法纪的人无法以残忍的手段和侮辱来对待我们时逍遥法外。任何时代ˇ通情达理的人都憎恶那些只把我们当作你们男人的花瓶的习俗。请把我们当作是上帝置于你们保护之下的生灵ˇ效法上帝ˇ使用那种权力ˇ仅仅是爲了给我们造福。

约翰给艾碧琪的信

……至于你的特别法典ˇ我只能一笑置之。人家已经对我们说ˇ我们的斗争已经使各地都放松了政府的管束。孩子和学徒都变得违拗不顺ˇ中小学和大学滋生骚乱ˇ印地安人蔑视监护人ˇ黑奴对主人粗暴无礼。但是ˇ你的信第一次正式宣告又有一个族群滋生不满ˇ而且这群人比其它所有族群人数更多ˇ力量更大。你这是给我提出了一个ˇ当棘手的建议ˇ但你既然这麽孟浪地提出来了ˇ我是不会忘掉的。

可以肯定地说ˇ除了废除我们的男性制度外ˇ我们知道做什麽更好。虽然这些男性制度ˇ在正全面实施。但你知道它们只不过是理论而已。我们并不敢全面行使我们的权力。我们必须公正温和ˇ实际上你知道我们都是庶民。我们仅有主人之名ˇ而且宁可放弃这个名分ˇ这样就使我们完全服从 于妇女的专制。我希望华盛顿将军以及我们所有勇敢的英雄都来战斗ˇ我肯定每一个好的政治家都会终身谋划反对专制、帝国、君权、贵族、寡头政治或暴民政治。这的确是个动听的故事。我开始认爲内阁既深谋远虑又邪恶。在煽起托利党人、土地投机商、骑墙派、盲信者、加拿大人、印地安人、黑人、汉诺威人、赫斯州人、俄国人、爱尔兰罗马天主教徒、苏格兰叛教者之后ˇ最后他们又激起女士们来要求新的特权ˇ而且威胁要造反。

ABIGAIL to JOHN

I long to hear that you have declared an Independency--and by the way 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 favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.

    That your Sex are Naturally Tyrannical is a Truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more lender and endearing one of Friend. Why then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity. Men of Sense in all Ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your Sex. Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in immitation of the Supreem Being make use of that power only for our happiness.

JOHN to ABIGAIL

. . . As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, cannot but laugh. We have been told that our Struggle has loosened the bands of Government every where. That Children and Apprentices were disobedient--that schools and Colledges were grown turbulent--that Indians slighted Their Guardians and Negroes grew insolent to Their Masters. But your Letter was the first Intimation that another Tribe more numerous and powerfull than all the rest were grown discontented.--This is rather too coarse a Compliment but you are so saucy, I wont blot it out.

    Depend upon it, We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems. Altho they are in full Force, you know they are little more than Theory. We dare not exert our Power in its full Latitude. We are obliged to go fair, and softly, and in Practice you know We are the subjects. We have only the Name of Masters, and rather than give up this, which would compleatly subject Us to the Despotism of the Peticoat, I hope General Washington, and all our brave Heroes would fight. I am sure every good Politician would plot, as long as he would against Despotism, Empire, Monarchy, Aristocracy, Oligarchy, or Ochlocracy.--A fine Story indeed. I begin to think the Ministry as deep as they are wicked.

    After stirring up Tories, Landjobbers, Trimmers, Bigots, Canadians, Indians, Negroes, Hanoverians, Hessians, Russians, Irish Roman Catholicks, Scotch Renegadoes, at last they have stimulated the [Ladies] to demand new Priviledges and threaten to rebell.