Analyzing Letters Between John and Abigail Adams

Explore the Revolutionary era through the voices of John and Abigail Adams, whose letters reveal deep mutual respect and a powerful exchange about rights, power, and representation in the new American government.

Students examine the exchange of letters between John and Abigail Adams in this engaging, document-based lesson. Students practice historical thinking skills as they watch, listen, and read and as they analyze these sources to determine who wrote each letter, why it was written, and what it reveals about early debates over rights and government. Through guided viewing, discussion, and text analysis, students explore the meaning of “consent of the governed” and compare two different perspectives on who should have a voice in the new nation. With opportunities for rich discussion, media-making, and connections to later movements for equality, like women’s suffrage, this lesson helps students think like historians and citizens.

About the Author:
Passionate about fostering critical thinking, media literacy, and informed citizenship, Mary Kate Lonergan spent 16 years teaching middle and high school social studies before taking her current role, where she serves as the Social Studies Curriculum Specialist at Fayetteville-Manlius Central Schools. She emphasizes media literacy as a core element of the social studies curriculum. Lonergan is a KQED Media Literacy Innovator, acts as a Teacher Collaborator and consultant with Ithaca College’s Project Look Sharp, and served as a mentor-coach with the Media Education Lab’s MediaEd Institute. As a PBS certified media literacy educator, Lonergan has developed social studies and media literacy centered lesson plans featured on PBS LearningMedia, including other Ken Burns films.