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Brooklyn Holmes
Ms. Parker
English 11.2
14 October 2014
A Letter for Generations
On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife, Abigail Adams, in which he
stated his thoughts and opinions on the timing of the Declaration of Independence. He identified
the pros and cons of the Declaration, if it had been signed seven months previous to July 4,
1776. Alliances with and control over foreign Countries were just some of the possibilities he
wrote of. He also stated the many pros and cons of the publication of the Declaration of
Independence on July 4. For instance, it gave the colonists another reason to fight and rekindled
the debate of rulership over the states. But in another sense, he wrote this letter to Abigail to
receive advice on how to perceive and approach the Declaration of Independence. Throughout
their marriage, she played a vital role in many of his choices in his personal and public life. In
this letter, John Adams uses elevated language, parallelism, and lists to effectively articulate the
pros and cons of the timing of the Declaration of Independences signing and ratification to his
wife, Abigail Adams, and to future generations.
In the first paragraph of this letter, he tells of what could have happened if the
Declaration was published seven months earlier. While stating the details of his opinion, he uses
elevated language to more efficiently share his thoughts with Abigail. Words like ministerial,
duped, languid, and conquest are just some examples of the elevated language he uses.
By using words like these, Adams is able to help Abigail better understand exactly what would
have happened if the Declaration was published prior to its actual publication. In addition, the

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elevated language he uses throughout his letter helps stress the importance of this topic. By
using elevated language he is able to create an aura of maturity and to even further prove his
knowledge and sophistication to us by using words that are not commonly spoken.
John Adams then goes on to use elevated language to further emphasize his
thoughts on the future impact of the Declaration of Independence. He uses this technique,
especially in the last two paragraphs, to lead the reader to believe that he knew future
generations would read this letter and use it to better understand him as a person and the major
historical events of that time. He says, See the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory, as well
as, It ought to be commemorated to continue showing the importance of the Declaration.
When he says, And that Posterity will triumph in that Days transaction, he further shows his
awareness of the future generations that are reading his work and learning more about him in
history. By the end of this letter he successfully increases our knowledge and respect for the
level of intellect he possesses.
Furthermore, Adams uses parallelism, which is the use of similar sentence structure to
create a memorable feeling for the reader, to convey his thoughts in a clear, concise manner that
will be memorable to Abigail. In one sentence he says, to ripen their judgments, dissipate
their fears, and allure their hopes This is an example of parallelism because all three phrases
have the same word format. By using this technique, Adams is able to create a powerful,
memorable, and hopeful atmosphere that catches the readers attention. In another sentence the
phrase it ought to be is repeated multiple times and by doing this he is, again, able to
catch the readers eye and keep their attention on him. Another reason parallelism was beneficial
to him is that it allowed him to state all his ideas in a manner that helped him organize his

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thoughts and helps the reader follow what he is saying. In addition, it gives the reader a strong
sense of his firm knowledge of what he is stating.
The last rhetorical strategy John Adams uses in this letter is lists. By using lists he is able
to provide emphasis on his many thoughts and ideas. They help his argument because they give
more information and credibility to the topic he is writing about and knows so well. For
example, he says, by discussing it in News Papers and Pamphlets, by debating it, in
Assemblies, Conventions, Committees of Safety and Inspection each part of this list
provides more emphasis on his opinions. Also, it helps convince the audience because it leaves
us believing his words and facts, and better understanding the ideas he is portraying throughout
this letter.
In the letter John Adams uses elevated language to demonstrate his intelligence and
help Abigail better understand his thoughts on this topic, while also suggesting its use to future
generations. He then goes on to use parallelism to make his ideas clear, concise, and memorable
to the reader and ends with lists to provide information and credibility to each individual
example he gives. By using these techniques Adams is able to capture our attention while still
informing us on the pros and cons of the timing of the Declaration of Independence. Also, he is
able to leave us with a sense of understanding of his thoughts on the Declaration and his mature,
intelligent character.

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Work Cited
Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776, "Had a Declaration..." [electronic
edition]. Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive. Massachusetts Historical
Society. http://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/