Abigail Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, April 18, 1802

Quincy April 18 th 1802—

my dear Thomas.

I have too long delayed, replying to Your Letter of March 20th.
Whatever is written to You, by Your Parents, sincerely anxious as they are for your
future welfare, and advancement in Life, you will receive as it is certainly meant in
kindness and affection; I am sensible that Success cannot be commanded, tho it may be
deserved; 1 I am not insensible to the
difficulties you have had to contend with, nor the efforts you have made to Surmount
them; to the State of Party Politicks many of them owe their origin, over which you
could have no controul; your fair and candid Statement has given to your Father much
satisfaction. he was pleased with your Letter; in which was not any expression
unbecomeing a dutifull and affectionate Son to his Parents— he has authorized me to Say
to you: that here are Farms Sufficient for you to Employ and occupy you, when ever you
are disposed to turn Farmer; and your Fathers House ready to receive you when ever You
find that you cannot command sufficient to clear your way as you go where you are; Your
Father has been induced by the desire of keeping the Quincy estate in the Family where
it has already been near an Hundred years, to purchase out all the Heirs, except mr
Tufts, who holds a third, which third takes in the Buildings & an hundred and ten
acres of Land. 2 Mount Woolaston is in one
of the Divisions which has fallen to your Father, Moon Island Rock Island and Rye Island
&c so you see his dominions and titles have greatly increased. mr Tufts property
lies between the first & third division, but I presume some future day it will all
again be united. if not there is sufficient to employ a younger Man than your Father for
many years to come in building upon and cultivating a Spot by natural Situation
delightfull; there is however one thing wanting to render the work both easy and
expeditious ——— You will be at no loss to devine what that is— however he will do what
he can, and leave to those who will come after him, to improve and embelish what he has
labourd to acquire; altho it is a property very little productive, it cannot be
annihilated with a Spunge— if the public faith is voilated, and no funds provided to pay
the public debt, the Lands remain, and the labourour may live by the Sweat of his Brow.
all things appear to me to be in a fluctuating state; there is no calculating to what
lengths the spirit of party and the madness of power may arrive. the Strong Barrier of
the constitution is Saped; the ax is laid to
the Root of the Tree. if the people cannot be awakened to a sense of their Danger, and
adopt the only safe and quiet means of relieving themselves; they are given over to
blindness of Eyes and hardness of Hearts—

you see by the State of Votes that Govr Strong will be reelected
this year with ten Thousand votes Majority— union is the great thing wanted, by uniting
they Stand, by divideing they fell.— the Senators had a large and honorable majority in
the County of Suffolk— how it will be with the Representitives I cannot pretend to say.
the Jacobins are united—not so the Feds and thus they may lose what they have gained— I
heard a Gentleman say today—that the Farmer had been the means of promoting more
federalism than any other writer— His own County bears witness to it, where a greater
change of sentiment has taken place than in any other part of this commonwealth— May
what is meant for evil, thus produce good, and we may once more be restored to Rational
Liberty, and prosperity—

The Washington Printers are so obliging as to furnish us with their
papers— You know me too well to suppose that the debates are uninteresting to me;
especially upon the great Subjects which have occupied the two Houses tho many members
were excellent, Mr Bayard stands unrivald— , Start deletion, tho many
excelld and , End, talents have been displayed by Several, who have not shone so bright
before but the Antis were all like the Rich Man in the Gospel—like him they will sooner
or later be tormented, for they prevent justice flowing down our streets like a
River.—

Let me hear from you my dear son, and do not be induced to conceal
any of your troubles or anxieties from your Mother whose greatest felicity would be to
releive you from them when in her power

Most tenderly and affectionatly / Your Mother

Abigail Adams—