Founding Mothers by P.M. Zall

When we think out the founding of the United States, the first names that come to mind are George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. There are no women whose names come immediately to mind. This is totally wrong, however, because it was true then, as it is now, that behind every great man there is a great woman. In the book Founding Mothers by P.M. Zall, we get to meet some of these women.

The late Paul Maxwell Zall was a renowned professor at Cal State L.A. among other prestigious universities. He was also a research scholar at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif., where he did research for this book and others that he has written. He had a way of extracting the humor and the personality of the people he writes about, and in “Founding Mothers” he brings us biographical sketches of ten women who played an important part in the founding of the United States. Some of them, like Abigail Adams and Dolly Madison, will not come as much of a surprise. Others are mere shadows who have been obscured by the shadows of time.

He begins his book with a dedication to his sisters. He then goes on to explain what should be obvious to everyone: while the founding fathers were off in Philadelphia or at the forefront of the diplomatic effort or the battlefield, someone had to be back home holding down the fort. It was the wives of the founding fathers who made sure that when the war was over; their husbands still had a home to return to.

The first woman we are introduced to is the common-law wife of Benjamin Franklin, Deborah Reed Franklin. We know very little about Deborah except that over the period of her 44-year marriage to Ben Franklin, they were apart for 25 years and she was making sure that their business ventures could support his foreign travels. They were young lovers and it would seem that while Ben became an international figure, Deborah was happier just staying home. This may well have been a case where he outgrew her but his affection was genuine and he never had another serious relationship.

Abby Smith Adams is much better known since she was very aware of her husband’s place in history and as an educated woman used her mighty intellect to promote him in every way that she could. I think the closest analogy of their relationship might be Bill and Hilary Clinton where you are never quite sure who is the stronger and smarter of the couple. She kept all their correspondence, and it gives a wonderful picture of their affectionate and intellectual relationship.

Beyond these two, there are eight other fascinating women introduced. The biographies include quotes from letters and any other extant comments that refer to them. This is all very well documented and a very interesting read for anyone who enjoys American history and biographies in particular. If you are a history lover,  Founding Mothers by P.M. Zall will be a very good read.