Questions about Content:

1. In his letter of March 16, 1780, what is JQA asking his father to do?

2. What does John Adams consider to be the most useful subjects to study? The least useful?

3. Abigail's letter is, in part, a response to one of JQA's. What subject did JQA write to his mother about?

4. According to Abigail, what clearly is not the purpose of life? She also stresses that JQA must honor and act out of a responsibility to four relationships. To which relationships does she refer?

Questions for Drawing Historical Connections:

5. Who was Cicero? Who was Erasmus? In which historical periods were they active? Why would an American of the Revolutionary era be attracted to their writings?

Questions for Thought, Discussion, and Writing:

6. Is JQA's program of studies more similar to or different from that of today's middle-schooler? In what ways have ideas about education for this age group changed? In what ways are they the same?

7. Abigail lists separate sets of obligations her son bears to society, to his nation, to his parents, and to himself. Is her advice useful in raising a thirteen-year-old in today's society? Why or why not?

8. According to Abigail, what does it mean to be an American? Is this approach still being practiced today? Support your opinion with examples.