Primary Sources: People - American Women: Warren, Mercy Otis

Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society contains a variety of letters, diaries and other papers relating to early America and the Revolution; mainly focused on New England colonies, but other colonies are also mentioned.

"The letters exchanged between Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814) and Hannah Winthrop (baptized 1727-1790) provide a remarkable window into the daily lives of families living through the challenges of revolution and nation building. Teachers, students, and history enthusiasts are urged to explore history through the eyes and pens of those who participated in the extraordinary events of the period. These intimate letters (written between 1752 and 1789) offer readers an opportunity to connect with the past by imagining themselves in the narrative. The correspondence between Warren and Winthrop reveals the important roles that women played in the revolutionary era. The letters from Hannah Winthrop to Mercy Otis Warren are original manuscripts, however Warren's letters to Winthrop are not. Warren's are from a letterbook (a manuscript volume containing handwritten copies of outgoing letters), compiled by unidentified transcribers."