Adams Interpretation

Today in class, we reviewed letters written between Abigail and John Adams and tried to interpret them as best we could. There were definitely many challenges that came with this interpretation, including difficult diction and a confusing syntax. There was a certain paragraph in John's letter to Abigail that illustrates ideals that are still being sought after in 2016. The quote is as follows:

"Compassions of many. But...let Us take Warning and give it to our Children. Whenever Vanity, and Gaiety, a Love of Pomp and Dress, Furniture, Equipage, Buildings, great Company, expensive Diversions, and elegant Entertainments get the better of the Principles and Judgements of Men or Women there is no knowing where they will stop, nor into what Evils, natural, moral, or political, they will lead us".

While this is hard to pick apart and understand, Adams is relaying an important message on the ideals of his time period. What he is saying is that he is warning his wife of the dangers of materialism in the younger generation. He is afraid that the newer generation will get swept up in the extravagance of a prosperous nation and forget to uphold the respectful views of the past generation. Adams' generation worries for the future of America because they are afraid that the new generation will become ungrateful of the sacrifices made to achieve independence.

This is a similar problem today. There are many Baby Boomers who are constantly beating Millenials and weeping for the future of a world with smartphones and technology. They believe that we will be consumed by our devices until all forms of human interaction are extinct and that we will become zombie-like and antisocial. This is not the case however; Millenials are quite fond of their technology and would appreciate it if the previous generation would embrace this new future instead of longing for the past. In this way, the two time periods of the 1800s and 2016 are interconnected. The older generation fears for the future and potential mistakes of the new generation, while the new generation wishes that they could be understood from their point of view going into a new era.