Abigail Adams and Her Times

She noticed and commented on the discrimination between boys and girls, especially with respect to education.

She was embarrassed by her lack of consistent spelling and appropriate punctuation, and her barely legible penmanship. She was equally strong in views about racial discrimination. A short visit south of the Mason-Dixon Line ratified her lifelong conviction that slavery was wholly evil. The Boy is a Freeman as much as any of the young Men, and merely because his Face is Black, is he to be denied instruction? How is he to be qualified to procure a livelihood?

I have not thought it any disgrace to my self to take him into my parlour and teach him both to read and write. A year later when John became Ambassador to Great Britain, she filled the difficult role of wife of our first ambassador to our former sovereign after the loss of the American colonies. This she did with tact and dignity, despite the repeated rudeness and social discourtesies with which she was treated by the English monarchs, George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte. Abigail became a good friend to Mrs. Washington and a valued help in official entertaining because she was able to draw on her experience in the courts and society abroad.

However, after , poor health forced her to spend as much time in Quincy as possible. When John was elected President in, he begged her to join him immediately. This despite the primitive conditions Abigail found in the newly constructed city of Washington, DC, when she arrived in November of The city was in the wilderness and few streets were laid out.

Not many of those were paved. In fact, servants hauled water to the house from a park five city blocks away and Abigail hung laundry to dry in what became the East Room! But for the three months she was in the new capitol city, Abigail duly held the dinners and receptions required of her. Monday night receptions were open to everyone and the formal dinners for members of Congress were held on Wednesday evenings.

John relied on Abigail for political advice and as a sounding board, and signing the Acts was a move that Abigail vigorously supported. The Life of Josiah Henson. The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson. Slave Narrative Six Pack 3. The Life of Benjamin Franklin: Illustrated by Tales, Sketches and Anecdotes. The Itinerarium of Dr. Annotated by Atidem Aroha Editor. Slave Narrative Six Pack 3 Illustrated. A Will to Be Free, Vol. Four Famous American Writers: A Book for Young Americans. Uncle Tom's Story of His Life. Ten Books About Him. Life and Confession of Sophia Hamilton. Works of Lydia Maria Child.

Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman. Abigail Adams and Her Times. Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards. The True George Washington. An Example for Youth. Stage Coach and Tavern Days. The Poetical Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Mother of Washington and Her Times. Sara Agnes Rice Pryor. Elizabeth Fries Lummis Ellet. A Colonial America Reader. The Diary of Grace Barclay: Young Folks' History of Boston.

This separation from her husband was seemingly harder for Abigail Adams to endure than all the years John Adams had spent in Congress. Letters took weeks to travel across the ocean. John Adams, fearing that his letters would be intercepted by the British and published, wrote very little. Nonetheless, Abigail Adams implored him to write more frequently. They are my food by day and my rest by night…. Cheerfulness and tranquility took the place of grief and anxiety [upon receipt of a packet of three letters].

With the war continuing, luxury items became scarce in the colonies. Abigail Adams wrote to her husband to send her goods from France, so that she could sell them at a profit in Massachusetts. During this time, she also speculated in currency. After eighteen long months, John Adams' homecoming was a time of celebration. But soon after his arrival, Congress voted to send him to France again, as minister plenipotentiary, to negotiate a peace treaty between the United States and several European countries, particularly Great Britain. Shortly after, John Adams received notice of another appointment.

Abigail Adams joined her husband and sons in Europe at this point, bringing her daughter, Nabby, with her. After a long ocean voyage, Abigail Adams arrived in London, only to learn her husband had to make a political trip to Holland. She and her daughter waited almost a month for John Adams to return. When the couple finally reunited, it had been five years since they had last seen each other. Although pleased to be together, neither John nor Abigail Adams enjoyed their time in England. In April, , five years after Abigail Adams' arrival, the family set sail for home.

During those years in Europe, Abigail Adams had served as hostess for both political and social gatherings and as political advisor to her husband. John Adams, with 34 votes, placed second and became Vice-President. Although Abigail Adams had been upset by her husband's earlier political assignments, when he had to be away from home for years at a time, she fully supported his decision to accept the vice-presidency. Once more, the Adams family relocated. This time, their destination was a newly-built home in Philadelphia. Once in the city, Abigail Adams was faced with mass confusion.

Boxes and furniture were scattered everywhere, the house was damp and cold, and beds had to be set-up before nightfall. Within days of their arrival, though, her son, Thomas, and the two maids had taken ill. Even while she nursed the invalids, Abigail Adams had to assume the role of hostess and welcome visitors to the Adams' home. With spring's arrival, and her oldest children off in their own directions, Abigail Adams decided to return to Braintree with Thomas, in hopes that fresh country air would hasten his recovery.

Their letters now openly discussed political situations; both were concerned with the antagonistic political atmosphere in Philadelphia. I was always for equality as my husband can witness. When John Adams learned that Washington planned to retire in , he promptly sought Abigail Adams' advice. If he ran for the office and didn't win enough electoral votes to become President, he would be obliged to accept the Vice-Presidency under the winner, whom they expected to be Thomas Jefferson.

John Adams, although hoping to win the Presidency, most definitely did not want to serve as second-in-command underneath Jefferson; their political positions were too far apart. Abigail Adams' response was filled with reservations, but once again, she knew that turning away from the Presidency would not be in her husband's nature.

Abigail Adams

After winning the election, John Adams asked his wife to join him in the capital city. Abigail Adams arrived in Philadelphia in early May. The house was shortly put in order, and Abigail Adams quickly held a reception as First Lady. John Adams discussed nearly every important problem with her, and most often followed her advice.

Abigail Adams also continued to write many letters to friends, and those who knew the strength of her influence with her husband took pains to enlist her support. She even continued managing the Quincy formerly Braintree farm through correspondence with her sister, Mary Cranch, and with Dr. As was to be expected, John Adams' years as President were filled with political challenges. Abigail Adams fretted about her husband's health, but admitted he had never been in finer spirits. Abigail Adams, on the other hand, was not well.

Abigail Adams Juvenile/Educational Biography :: First Ladies' Library

When Congress convened for the summer, the couple set forth for their Quincy farm. By the time the entourage reached Quincy, Abigail Adams was exhausted and ill with fever, diarrhea, and diabetes. When John Adams returned to Philadelphia in November, he had to leave his wife behind. It wasn't until after the next summer recess that Abigail Adams was able to return with her husband to Philadelphia, where she remained for the term.

Nabby's husband, Colonel Smith, was a wastrel and had spent his family's money. Charles, though glad to see his mother, was in even worse straits than his sister. Charles was an alcoholic, and his health was rapidly deteriorating. Although John Adams moved into the new Presidential mansion on the Potomac River, his stay was not to be for long. He lost the next election. Before leaving to join her husband in Washington, D. Charles did not have long to live, and it was with great sadness that Abigail Adams bade him farewell. John Adams received news of his election defeat at the same time he learned of the death of his son, Charles.

After his political retirement, John Adams slowly adjusted to life on the farm, and once again began corresponding with friends. Abigail Adams, concerned about finances, continued to keep herself busy with the day-to-day details of running her home. Throughout the next year, the family remained plagued with illness. Nabby, John and Abigail's daughter, had been diagnosed with cancer. She brought her two daughters to the farm and underwent surgery. John Adams stumbled over a stake in the ground, tore the skin off his leg, and was forced to sit in his chair for several weeks.

Once again, Abigail Adams and her two maids nursed the sick. Despite the surgery, Nabby's cancer returned by the summer of Knowing she would die soon, Nabby made the agonizing journey back to the Quincy farm and died three weeks after arriving. Abigail Adams nursed her daughter until the end. In October of , Abigail Adams suffered a stroke. She died quietly on October 28th, , surrounded by her family. Her husband, John Adams lived several more years, passing away quietly on July 4th, Abigail Adams has the distinction of being the only woman in the United States who was the wife of one president John Adams and the mother of another John Quincy Adams.

Although Abigail Adams may be viewed as an early advocate for women's rights, she never saw herself as such. While her management abilities and financial aptitude kept the family solvent, she saw her main role in life as wife and mother and used her talents to maintain the family. Her marriage was a successful and loving partnership, and she considered herself equal to her husband. She freely advised John Adams on a number of topics, and her advice was respected and often followed. She also suggested that the law be amended to protect women from male tyranny; however, she never took an active role in securing change.

As a woman of the eighteenth century, she witnessed a great deal of political turmoil, war, and the birth of a new nation. Abigail Adams' voluminous correspondence with her husband, family, and friends provides a historical record of the times as well as showing her as an intelligent and capable woman. Selected Letters of the Adams Family, , edited by L.

Butterfield, Harvard University Press, Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Retrieved December 18, from Encyclopedia. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia. November 22, Weymouth, Massachusetts Died: October 28, Quincy, Massachusetts American political advisor and first lady. Though she believed her main role in life to be wife and mother, Abigail Adams also was a behind-the-scenes stateswoman.

She used her talents to maintain her family during the many absences of her husband, John Adams , the second president of the United States , and to advise her husband about women's rights and slavery. Her detailed letters with her husband, family, and friends provide a historical record of the times and show her to have been a woman ahead of her time. Although many of Abigail's relatives were well-to-do merchants and ship captains, she was raised in a simple, rural setting.

She was educated at home, learning domestic skills, such as sewing, fine needle-work, and cooking, along with reading and writing. Her lack of formal education became a life-long regret. As an adult, she favored equal education for women. She once argued that educated mothers raise educated children. On October 25, , Abigail married John Adams , a struggling, Harvard-educated country lawyer nine years her senior.

Although John Adams was not from a prominent family, the couple was well matched intellectually and the marriage was a happy one. He admired and encouraged Abigail's outspokenness and intelligence. She supported him by running the family farm, raising their children, listening to him, and trying to help him with his problems.

During the first few years of their marriage, John Adams lived mostly in Boston, Massachusetts, building his law career and becoming involved with the growing political unrest. This political unrest was brought about by the English government's attempts to tighten control over its colonies through the passage of laws and new taxes that many colonists did not support. Abigail, however, remained at Braintree later Quincy , Massachusetts, to run the family farm.

Although women at that time did not normally handle business affairs, Abigail traded livestock, hired help, bought land, oversaw construction, and supervised the planting and harvesting. During the next few years, hostilities between the American colonies and Great Britain increased, forcing John Adams away from home more often. He was chosen as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. The congress was a group of colonial representatives who met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , on September 5, , and took a stand against the British government's policy of passing laws over the colonists without colonial representation.

He traveled constantly in addition to those duties, trying to earn as much money as he could practicing law. He tried to make these difficult times easier by writing long letters to Abigail, sometimes several a day. She, in turn, wrote to her husband of her own loneliness, doubts, and fears. She suffered from migraines and chronic insomnia. Despite her own bouts with illness, she gave birth to five children.

One daughter, Susanna, born in , lived for only a year. The Congress also set up a government for the colonies. A year later, on July 4, , the Congress approved the Declaration of Independence , in which the American colonies declared their independence from the government of Great Britain. During the war Abigail provided meals and lodging to soldiers who stopped at the Adams' home at all hours of the day and night.

In the fall of , the inhabitants of Braintree suffered an epidemic of dysentery, an often-fatal bowel infection. Abigail had to nurse her sick relatives in addition to caring for her children. Her mother and five other members of her family eventually died from the illness. As the fighting drew closer to Boston, Abigail Adams wrote many letters describing the events of the time.

In a letter written in March , she urged her husband to take women's rights into consideration if and when the colonies gained independence: As the war continued, John Adams was sent to Europe to work on treaties with other countries and to seek loans for the colonies.

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He took one or two of his sons on these assignments, which continued after the war ended, giving America its independence from Great Britain in These constant separations were difficult for Abigail Adams, but she supported her husband. She wrote that she "found his honor and reputation much dearer to [her] than [her] own present pleasure and happiness.

After five years, Abigail and her daughter, Nabby, joined her husband and sons in England. During the years in Europe, Abigail acted as hostess for both political and social gatherings and as an advisor to her husband. In April , five years after Abigail's arrival, the family returned home. After the American Revolution ended, the newly independent country of the United States needed a president.

When the votes were counted in March , George Washington — was the clear presidential winner. At the time, the person with the most votes became president, while the person with the next largest number became vice president. John Adams placed second and became vice president. Although Abigail Adams had been upset by her husband's earlier political assignments, which forced him to be away from home for years at a time, she fully supported his decision to accept the vice presidency.

The family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the federal government was located at the time. Abigail assumed the role of hostess, welcoming visitors to the Adams's home. However, she returned to Braintree the next spring with her son, Thomas, who had fallen ill. When Washington retired in , John Adams ran for president and won the election.

His wife joined him in Philadelphia in May. Abigail Adams quickly settled in as first lady; her husband discussed many important problems with her and often followed her advice. Abigail kept writing letters to friends and even continued managing the Quincy formerly Braintree farm through correspondence with her sister, Mary Cranch.

Whereas John Adams had never been in finer spirits, Abigail Adams became exhausted and ill with fever on a trip home to Quincy in the summer of This led to yet another separation when the president returned to Philadelphia in November. Abigail eventually recovered and returned to Philadelphia the next year, staying for the rest of her husband's term.

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After losing his bid for reelection in , John Adams retired to life on the farm. Abigail Adams continued to keep herself busy maintaining her home. The family remained plagued with illness. Both Mary Cranch and her husband died within days of each other. Nabby Adams had been diagnosed with cancer and underwent an operation.

John Adams injured his leg in an accident and was unable to walk for several weeks. As always, Abigail Adams cared for them all. She died quietly on October 28, , surrounded by her family.

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John Adams lived several more years, passing away on July 4, Abigail Adams has the distinction of being the first woman in U. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, — Harvard University Press, Oxford University Press, A lively, intelligent woman, she married John Adams in and more than three decades later became the chief figure in the social life of her husband's administration and one of the most distinguished and influential first ladies in the history of the United States.

Her relationship with her husband came as close to a partnership of equals as the culture of the time would allow. Her detailed letters, most written during her husband's wartime absences, are a vivid source of social history. The correspondence with her husband was edited in a number of volumes by Charles Francis Adams and abridged by M. Cappon , includes her letters as well as John's, and letters to her sister, Mary Smith Cranch, are in New Letters of Abigail Adams , —, edited by Stewart Mitchell , repr.

See biographies by J. Akers , and W. Holton ; E. Gelles, Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage ; G. Barker-Benfield, Abigail and John Adams: The Americanization of Sensibility ; J. Ellis, First Family See also bibliography for Adams, John. Second First Lady of the United States , women's rights advocate. A bigail Adams, one of the most well-known women of the eighteenth century, was the wife of one United States president and the mother of another.

During her husband's long absences from home, she successfully managed her family's affairs and ran their farm. In a new country based on the principles of equality and independence, this American patriot loved and loyally supported her own country and sowed the seeds for the movement to make women full citizens of the United States. Both were from wealthy, educated New England families. Adams was a shy but stubborn child who suffered several illnesses during her early years. Her strict mother taught Adams to be charitable, and they often went together to bring food and clothing to the area's needy families.

Adams's father loved learning and gave all of his children full run of his large library. There the young girl learned about poetry, history, drama, religion, and political matters. She educated herself and became one of the best-read women of the time. Her poor spelling and handwriting, however, showed that she was self-taught. Abigail Adams grew into a tall, slender young woman with a long nose, sharp chin, and piercing eyes. She first met twenty-three-year-old John Adams see entry , a lawyer, when she was fifteen.

They began sharing their love for knowledge, and before long he was sending her letters addressed to "Miss Adorable. For more than fifty years, they remained best friends, and John always relied on his wife's advice. The couple's first home was a small farm in Quincy then called Braintree , Massachusetts. Adams stayed at home, overseeing servants and running the household, while John Adams traveled to Boston and other parts of New England building his career as a lawyer and judge. In the British began to demand that the American colonists start paying high taxes to help pay off British war debts.

They believed that to be taxed by the British Parliament—a government body in which they had no representation—was unfair and made them little more than slaves. John Adams was a primary force in the movement toward the Revolutionary War, which finally erupted over this and other issues in In Adams moved his family to Boston, the most active center of revolutionary activity.

There Abigail Adams socialized with the city's most important families. Six years later John was elected a delegate to the First Continental Congress , a six-week meeting at which representatives from the colonies discussed what to do about their problems with the British. John's role as a delegate meant even longer separations. Although she missed John terribly when he was away on business and political trips, Abigail Adams stood behind his efforts and ambitions.

She took on the responsibility of making most of the family decisions herself, including those that pertained to money. The family's life gradually changed, as the American movement to gain freedom from Great Britain grew stronger. Adams wrote frequent letters to her friends and family in which she frankly expressed her opinions. The letters have been preserved and are honored as some of the best of her time. Their subjects range from politics, manners, and education for women to marriage, health care, and the relationship between religion and morality what is right versus what is wrong.

Abigail and John Adams often wrote to one another about their feelings and ideas. Quoting William Shakespeare in a letter to her husband, Abigail Adams wrote: She and Jefferson carried on a long correspondence in which they treated each other as equals. Her letters have been described as newsy, flirtatious, and full of ideas. Adams's letters gave accounts of the history of the young country and the problems that its people faced on the road to independence. She wrote to John Adams of the conflict between their neighbors who supported Britain and those who supported the revolution. She also wrote about housing colonial soldiers on their way to attack the British, and of her own constant fear of attack by British soldiers.

Women had to undergo many hardships as the Revolutionary War stretched on from to Adams's letters told of how she dealt with such difficulties as wartime shortages and the high cost of food and other goods, lack of help to run the family farm, and, especially, loneliness. At one point, her husband served as a diplomat in Europe, representing the United States in its dealings with countries there.

In order to make ends meet, Adams was forced to sell or trade the tea, handkerchiefs, and other items her husband sent her from Europe. She once told John that, because of the loss of his companionship for half of their marriage and his reduced time for moneymaking, she believed she had struggled and sacrificed more on behalf of the American cause than most women in the country. Throughout her life Abigail Adams furthered her education and developed her mind. For example, in she went with her husband to Paris, France, where for eight months he represented the U.

While there, Abigail Adams paid close attention to French manners and morals and observed French culture. From an early age, Adams's family had taught her to be careful with money. She was amazed by the number of servants that upper-class Europeans needed to maintain a large house and the time and money they spent on looking fashionable. She disapproved of the behavior of the wealthy French people, telling her friends that they mainly pursued luxury and pleasure, and she disliked Paris, calling it "the dirtiest place I ever saw.

As an official representative of her country, Adams carried out her duties— mostly entertaining—with intelligence and dignity.