Ep. 1 - Mothers of the Revolution, Take 2

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In our premiere episode, we go back—way back—to the women who laid the emotional, intellectual, and literal groundwork for American democracy.
We’re talking Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, and Phillis Wheatley—three women who never got a seat at the table but still pulled up with receipts, rage, and revolutionary fire.

From letters to husbands to poems that challenged tyranny, these founding mothers were raising babies and raising hell. We explore what they might say about today’s school voucher battles, book bans, and ongoing fights for equality. Spoiler: they wouldn’t be quiet about it.

As suburban moms with a mic, we reflect on our own letters to America, the ways our lives echo theirs, and why joy is resistance in 2025.

What We Cover:

• “Remember the Ladies”: Abigail’s demand to be heard
• Mercy Otis Warren and the pen that mocked kings
• Phillis Wheatley’s poems of protest and power
• What Texas school voucher hearings have in common with revolutionary resistance
• What we would say if we could write our own Letter to America

Further Reading:

• Abigail Adams' letters: Massachusetts Historical Society
• Mercy Otis Warren bio: National Women’s History Museum
• Phillis Wheatley’s poetry: Poets.org
•  Primary Source Material:
   Abigail Adams:
  • “Remember the Ladies” Letter (March 31, 1776)
    Massachusetts Historical Society
    🔗 https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L17760331aa
•  Mercy Otis Warren:
  • Biography (NWHM) – Overview of her political writings and role in the Revolution
    National Women’s History Museum
    🔗 https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mercy-otis-warren
  • Selected Works:
    Observations on the New Constitution (1788)
    The Group (1775) – Political satire play
    Full text collection:
    🔗 https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/warren/revolution/revolution.html
•  Phillis Wheatley:
  • Poetry Collection: Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773)
    Available through Poets.org
    🔗 https://poets.org/poet/phillis-wheatley
  • Letter and Poem to George Washington (1775):
    Library of Congress
    🔗 https://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw4.028_0384_0385/?sp=1

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