The Need for Contextual ReVision: Mercy Otis Warren, A Case in Point

Abstract

No final resting place soothes my spirit quite as well as the Old Pilgrim Burial Ground on the craggy hills overlooking Plymouth Bay in "the Massachusetts," surely one of the loveliest sites for a cemetery in the entire country. At its apex, Mercy Otis Warren's grave lies hidden behind an imposing edifice built in modern times to commemorate her husband, General James Warren, who is described on the stone as "Scholar, Patriot, General of the American Revolution." Directly behind this ornate tribute to her husband is the original plain white stone they shared. Her inscription reads, "Mercy Warren, born 1728 died 1814. Wife of James Warren, Daughter of James Otis, Sister of James Otis, Jr." No reference appears to her role as mother of five sons, or historian of three volumes on the American Revolution; no mention either of her role as an active player in the radical patriot efforts which created the committees of correspondence and which culminated in the American Revolution; no word of her as a political satirist, or published poet, or political advisor to the founding fathers, or fierce advocate of a bill of rights; no recognition evident of her role as mentor, friend, and correspondent with other women and men throughout the colonies.