In many ways the late 18th century American revolutionary period remains a somewhat ambiguous moment for the role of women. Looking back, Professor Peter C. Mancall sees a time when women were culturally omitted from official documents (e.g. “all men are created equal”), trapped in unfair marriage laws, and all but imprisoned in the role of homebound nurturer for future male leaders. Despite these factors, key voices do emerge that would later cause historic waves, most notably Abigail Adams, whose writings are a remarkable testament to her important role in early government leadership. The Declaration’s language can also be traced to the later women’s suffrage movement, which realized astutely that women needed formal inclusion in the political system in order to legally erase their status as second-class citizens.