Abigail Adams’s famous injunction that her husband and his compatriots ought to “Remember the Ladies” is often referenced as an example of women’s awareness of the thwarted potential of revolutionary sentiments. But it reveals something much deeper about intellectual women in the eighteenth century. The wit and erudition Adams displayed in the exchanges with her prominent husband were distinctive, but not unique. Materials written by women who lived in Philadelphia, the most cosmopolitan city in the British North American colonies, illustrate both the depth of their education and the range of their interests. From history, politics, and Indian diplomacy to friendship, fashion, and courtship, women could and did read and write about matters of weighty and worldly, as well as more transient, daily appeal. These materials also show how important were family and social connections to women’s exposure to politics in particular. Having fathers, brothers, cousins, and husbands engaged in politics made it particularly likely that women would be concerned with these issues too.