See more
What are 3 important facts about Abigail Adams?
Interesting Facts about Abigail Adams Her cousin was Dorothy Quincy, wife of the founding father John Hancock. Her nickname as a child was "Nabby". When she was First Lady some people called her Mrs. President because she had so much influence over John.
What did Abigail Adams do to help?
Abigail Adams struggled her whole life with the limitations that society placed upon her dreams. Despite these hardships, she found a way to use her talents to serve her nation by assisting and advising her husband, President John Adams, and teaching and guiding her son, President John Quincy Adams.
How did Abigail Adams make a difference?
Hailed for her now-famous admonition that the Founding Fathers “remember the ladies” in their new laws, Abigail Adams was not only an early advocate for women's rights, she was a vital confidant and advisor to her husband John Adams, the nation's second president. She opposed slavery and supported women's education.
What role did Abigail Adams play in the revolution?
Abigail Smith Adams wasn't just the strongest female voice in the American Revolution; she was a key political advisor to her husband and became the first First Lady to live in what would become the White House.
How did Abigail Adams help her husband?
Abigail Adams is probably best remembered for urging her husband, John Adams, to "Remember the Ladies." At a time when John was working on the Declaration of Independence, Abigail specifically lobbied her husband to,"be more generous and favorable to [the Ladies] than your ancestors.
Did Abigail Adams help soldiers?
While her husband was gone, the Continental army was camped practically in Abigail's front yard. She and her children did what they could to care for the soldiers.
What is Abigail Adams encouraging her husband?
In a letter dated March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams writes to her husband, John Adams, urging him and the other members of the Continental Congress not to forget about the nation's women when fighting for America's independence from Great Britain.
What did Abigail Adams push for in the Second Continental Congress?
As the Second Continental Congress drew up and debated the Declaration of Independence through 1776, Abigail Adams began to press the argument in letters to her husband that the creation of a new form of government was an opportunity to make equitable the legal status of women to that of men.
What did Abigail Adams do to change the world?
Abigail Adams’s grandson Charles Francis Adams concluded that she had played a significant role in the career of her husband, John Adams, particula...
What were Abigail Adams’s contributions?
One of Abigail Adams’s contributions was her oversight of the family’s move to the newly constructed presidential mansion in Washington, D.C. On Ne...
What was Abigail Adams’s legacy?
Until modern times, few first ladies shared Abigail Adams’s interest in politics or the treatment of government leaders by the press. Although her...
Who was Abigail Adams?
Abigail Adams ( née Smith; November 22, [ O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She is sometimes considered to have been a Founder of the United States, ...
What did Abigail Adams do for the Adams family?
Abigail also took responsibility for the family's financial matters, including investments. Investments made through her uncle Cotton Tufts in debt instruments issued to finance the Revolutionary War were rewarded after Alexander Hamilton's First Report on the Public Credit endorsed full federal payment at face value to holders of government securities. One recent researcher even credits Abigail's financial acumen with providing for the Adams family's wealth through the end of John's lifetime.
What did Abigail Adams write about?
Abigail Adams wrote about the troubles and concerns she had as an 18th-century woman. She was an advocate of married women's property rights and more opportunities for women, particularly in the field of education. Women, she believed, should not submit to laws not made in their interest, nor should they be content with the simple role of being companions to their husbands. They should educate themselves and thus be recognized for their intellectual capabilities so they could guide and influence the lives of their children and husbands. She is known for her March, 1776 letter to John and the Continental Congress, requesting that they, "remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation."
How did Adams die?
Adams died in her home on October 28, 1818, of typhoid fever. She is buried beside her husband and near their son John Quincy in a crypt located in the United First Parish Church (also known as the "Church of the Presidents") in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was 73 years old, exactly two weeks shy of her 74th birthday.
What is the significance of Abigail Adams' letters?
John frequently sought the advice of Abigail on many matters, and their letters are filled with intellectual discussions on government and politics. Her letters also serve as eyewitness accounts of the American Revolutionary War home front.
What was Abigail's role in the court of St James's?
After 1785, she filled the role of wife of the first U.S. minister to the Court of St James's (Britain). In contrast to Paris, Abigail disliked London, where she had few friends and was, in general, cold-shouldered by polite society. One pleasant experience was her temporary guardianship of Thomas Jefferson's young daughter Mary (Polly), for whom Abigail came to feel a deep and lifelong love.
Why did John Shaw and William Smith's children live in the President's House?
Adams brought the children of her brother William Smith, her brother-in-law John Shaw, and her son Charles to live in the President's House during her husband's presidency because the children's respective fathers all struggled with alcoholism. Charles's daughter, Suzannah, was just 3 years old in 1800 when Adams brought her to live in the President's House in Philadelphia days before Charles's death.
Why was Abigail Adams so famous?
Often separated from her husband due to his political work, the self-educated Abigail oversaw the family’s household and largely raised their four children on her own, all the while maintaining a lively lifelong correspondence with her husband on the political issues of the day. She was also famous for her early advocacy of several divisive causes, including women’s rights, female education and the abolition of slavery.
Who was Abigail Adams' legacy?
Legacy of Abigail Adams. In retirement, Abigail maintained a brisk correspondence, including a renewed relationship with Jefferson (with whom John Adams would exchange letters until they both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence ).
How many children did Abigail Adams have?
Abigail Adams’ Children. Just nine months after their marriage, Abigail gave birth to the couple’s first child, Abigail (called Nabby). She would have six children in all; four lived to adulthood, including Nabby Adams, John Quincy Adams (born 1767), Charles Adams (born 1770) and Thomas Adams (born 1772).
What did Abigail Adams write to her son?
After Adams lost to Jefferson, Abigail wrote to her son that she had “few regrets” about retiring from public life. “At my age, and with my bodily infirmities, I shall be happier at Quincy [Massachusetts].”
How old was Abigail Adams when she met John Adams?
A friend of Cranch’s, a young lawyer named John Adams, met 17-year-old Abigail and fell in love. After a long engagement that her parents insisted on, they married on October 24, 1764, when Abigail was 19 and John was 28. Abigail Adams’ Children.
Why did John Adams travel to Philadelphia?
In 1774, as the tensions between the 13 colonies and Great Britain threatened to burst into violence, John Adams headed to Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. He and Abigail began writing regularly to each other during this period, beginning what would become a voluminous and historic correspondence.
Why did Abigail stay at home?
Abigail remained at home at first, keeping her husband well informed about domestic affairs in her letters. She joined him in Europe in 1784, and they remained abroad for five more years, returning home in 1789 so John could assume the vice presidency under George Washington.
Who was Abigail Adams' husband?
Hailed for her now-famous admonition that the Founding Fathers “remember the ladies” in their new laws, Abigail Adams was not only an early advocate for women’s rights, she was a vital confidant and advisor to her husband John Adams, the nation’s second president. She opposed slavery and supported women’s education.
When was the book of Abigail and John published?
Adams, Abigail. The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letter of the Adams Family, 1762-1784. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975.
What did Abigail Adams do for the United States?
Abigail Adams brought more intellect and ability to the position of first lady of the United States than any other woman. President Harry Truman once noted that Abigail "would have been a better President than her husband." Yet she lived in an era when women were not supposed to have, or express, their opinions about government or the exciting events of the times. Abigail Adams struggled her whole life with the limitations that society placed upon her dreams. Despite these hardships, she found a way to use her talents to serve her nation by assisting and advising her husband, President John Adams, and teaching and guiding her son, President John Quincy Adams. Throughout her seventy-four-year life, this American heroine was an invaluable contributor to the founding and strengthening of the United States.
When did Abigail Adams die?
Surrounded by family members she died on October 28. John Adams and his wife had shared fifty-four years of happiness and companionship, and the second president was moved by Abigail's death to write, "I wish I could lay down beside her and die too.".
Why did Abigail Adams want independence?
She knew that her life would be decided by her choice of a husband. Abigail wanted a husband who was her intellectual equal and one who would appreciate her accomplishments. Abigail met such a man in John Adams, a young lawyer from nearby Braintree. During their two-year courtship the young couple spent long periods apart and relied upon writing letters to keep in touch. On October 25, 1764, Abigail's father presided over their wedding. The young couple moved into the house John had inherited from his father in Braintree (today a part of the National Park Service, Adams National Historical Park) and began their life together.
How many terms did John Adams serve?
The next year, John Adams was elected the first vice president of the United States. During the course of the next twelve years as John Adams served two terms as vice president (1789-1797) and one term as president (1797-1801), he and Abigail moved back and forth between the new home they bought in Braintree (the "Old House") and the successive political capitals of the United States: New York, Philadelphia, and then Washington, D.C. Throughout these years, Abigail frequently made use of her writing abilities in defense of John and his policies. Time began to take its toll on Abigail, and she had recurring bouts of rheumatism that forced her frequently to retreat to the peace of Braintree recover. After eight years of apprenticeship as vice president, in 1796 John Adams was elected to succeed George Washington as president of the United States. While John and Abigail could be proud to have reached this esteemed position, they had little time to enjoy their success for the United States was in very dangerous condition when Adams took office. Party lines were forming. John Adams faced dissent in his cabinet and the vice president, Thomas Jefferson, was head of the opposition party. John realized the problems he faced and wrote to his wife, who was in Quincy recovering from a rheumatic bout, that "I never wanted your advice and assistance more in my life."
Why was Abigail Adams angry with Adams?
Most Americans, driven by emotion, were angry with Adams for defending the hated "redcoats," but throughout the ordeal Abigail supported her husband's decision. In the end, Adams was proved correct and all nine of the men were acquitted of the murder charges.
Why did John Adams defend the British?
At the risk of his own popularity and career, John Adams chose to defend eight British soldiers and their captain, accused of murdering five Americans. Although John was an ardent patriot and favored independence, he felt the soldiers had acted properly and been provoked into firing by an unruly mob.
What happened to Abigail in 1770?
Abigail's loyalty to her husband was tested by one such event, the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.
Abigail Adams: Fast Facts
Children: Abigail (“Nabby”), John Quincy Adams, Grace Susanna, Charles, Thomas, Elizabeth
Major Achievements of Abigail Adams
Below we take a look at the major achievements of Abigail Adams, one of the most documented of the First Ladies of the United States.
Abigail Adams had strong influence on President Adams all throughout his political career
From the over thousand letters that Abigail and John wrote each other, we given an insight into just how much of an influence Abigail Adams had on the political career of Founding Father John Adams.
She did not let the lack of formal education stop her from making meaningful contribution to her nation
When Abigail Adams was growing up, she felt very disappointed that her parents, like many other 18 th century American families, refused to give her formal education.
She was by the side of John Adams throughout his diplomatic stint in Europe
After our nation won the Revolutionary War in 1783, John Adams, one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, was made ambassador to France. Although Abigail was initially reluctant to move with her husband to Europe, she eventually came to love her stay in France.
She was well-versed in many of the political and social issues of the time
Not only was Abigail Adams a capable life partner of John Adams, managing the household and taking care of their children, she was a very important advisor to her husband all throughout his political career.
She defended her husband in the press
Abigail was the kind of spouse who stayed through thick and thin of her husband’s political career. After the family had moved to nation’s new capital Washington, D.C., she came under immense stress due to the slightly harsh conditions of her new environment. The capital back then was swampy and insect-infested, with summer temperatures very high.
What is Abigail Adams known for?
Abigail Adams is one of the most prominent women throughout history and is known for being more than just the First Lady. Even though she was the wife of the second president of the United States, she had a much bigger impact on history than many other women. It is important to understand what her true contributions were and what her accomplishments meant. Here are the major accomplishments of Abigail Adams.
What made Abigail so unique?
What made Abigail so unique was that she did not have a formal education. She essentially taught herself and taught herself how to read. She is known for having an extensive library in the white house and would read many different works of literature. She understood the importance of education even though she herself did not have a formal education. She made sure that all of her children were educated.
Who was the first lady advisor?
Advisor. Many first ladies are simply just someone who supports her husband, but Abigail was actually an advisor to her husband while he was in presidency. There were letters that were exchanged between John Adams and Abigail that are actually the best account of the Revolutionary War.
What does the letter between John and Abigail show?
The letters between the two not only give an account of the war, but also show how much John trusts what Abigail has to say and leans on her opinion. She might not have been an advisor in title, but it is clear in the letters that the president valued what Abigail had to say.
What are some interesting facts about Abigail Adams?
13 Fascinating Facts About Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams refused to be a footnote. Born on November 22, 1744, she would go on to become the wife of one President and the mother of another. But it’s Adams’s first-rate political mind that has secured her place in history. The celebrated First Lady was, in several respects, years ahead of her time.
When was Abigail Adams born?
At that point, the Julian calendar had become 11 days off schedule. So according to this outdated metric, Abigail Adams was born on November 11, 1744.
What did Abigail do before John took office?
Shortly before John took the oath of office, Abigail informed the president-elect about a free black servant boy whom she’d personally given reading and writing lessons. Afterwards, she enrolled him into a local school.
What did John and Abigail write?
Through it all, John and Abigail diligently wrote each other. Their discourse includes eyewitness accounts of the vote for independence, Washington’s inauguration, and countless other moments that helped shape their young nation. Some letters even gush with romance. “I look back,” Abigail reminisced in 1782, “to the early days of our acquaintance; and Friendship, as to the days of Love and Innocence; and with an indescribable pleasure I have seen near a score of years roll over our Heads, with an affection heightened and improved by time—nor have the dreary years of absence in the smallest degree effaced from my mind the Image of the dear untitled man to whom I gave my Heart.”
What did Jefferson and Adams love?
At first, Jefferson and Mrs. Adams bonded over their shared love of gardens and songbirds. When John was named Ambassador to the Court of St. James in London, Abigail and her new acquaintance reluctantly parted ways (“I shall regreet [ sic] ... the loss of Mr. Jeffersons Society,” she wrote).
What did Abigail say about the boy?
Irate, Abigail replied that the boy was “as much a Freeman as any of the [other] 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 parlor and teach him to both read and write.”
What was Abigail's most famous letter?
Abigail penned what’s arguably her single most famous letter on March 31, 1776. “I long to hear that you have declared an independency, ” she informed John. “And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”
What is Abigail Adams' legacy?
Abigail Adams’ legacy is somewhat indirect, as was the case for many women of the era in which she lived. Most people know that she was the wife of John Adams, founding father and second President of the United States. She was, however, more than that, because Adams himself saw her as a helpmate, advisor and sounding board for what became an essential thread in the fabric of the American Revolution. She was in many ways ahead of her time, and is known to many people for one sentence appended to a letter to her husband - “do not forget the ladies!”
Who did Abigail Adams write to?
In a letter dated March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams writes to her husband, John Adams, urging him and the other members of the Continental Congress not to forget about the nation’s women when fighting for America’s independence from Great Britain.
How did John Adams and his wife Abigail relate?
Based on what I know about John Adams and his wife Abigail that they had a strong relationship and truly loved one another. A perfect sign of this is the fact that when John spent years in France he wrote frequently to his wife and Abigail wrote him as well. More about their relationship can be found in the books "Founding Mothers" and "Ladies of Liberty" both by Cokie Roberts detail more about the relationship of Abigail with her husband as well as her son who would eventually be President as well. The strength of their relationship is very apparent in their letters and while Abigail may n
How many children did Abigail Adams have?
Abigail bore six children, of whom five survived. Abigail and John’s eldest son, John Quincy Adams, served as the sixth president of the United States. Only two women, Abigail Adams and Barbara Bush, have been both wives and mothers of American presidents.
How old was Abigail when John Quincy married?
Abigail and John met when she was just 15 years old. The two spoke and maintained a relationship with each other for 3 years until they got married in October in 1764. At that time Abigail was still only 19 years old. As legend will have it, John was attracted to her intelligence and wit and the two went on to have six children. One son, John Quincy, went on to become the sixth President of the United States.
What is the relationship between John and Abigail?
John and Abigail had one of the greatest love stories in all of history. She was his spouse, partner, best friend, mother of his children, confidant, adviser, sounding-board, comfort zone, sanity check and all around companion all rolled into one. Reading their letters gives one a sense that even though they were separated for much of their early marriage, John relied on Abigail heavily for validation and verification of his thinking and his life's course. It was not that John submitted completely to Abigail. Rather they took the biblical principle of "the two shall become one" rather literall
What was the purpose of the Adams letter?
Nearly 150 years before the House of Representatives voted to pass the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, Adams letter was a private first step in the fight for equal rights for women. Recognized and admired as a formidable woman in her own right, the union of Abigail and John Adams persists as a model of mutual respect and affection; they have since been referred to as “America’s first power couple.” Their correspondence of over 1,000 letters written between 1762 and 1801 remains in the Massachusetts Historical Society and continues to give historians a unique perspective on domestic and political life during the revolutionary era.
Overview
Abigail Adams (née Smith; November 22, [O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She was a Founder of the United States, and was the first second lady of the United States and second first lady of the United States, although such titles were not used at the time. She and Barbara Bush are the o…
Early life and family
Abigail Adams was born on November 22, 1744, at the North Parish Congregational Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts, to William Smith (1707–1783) and Elizabeth (née Quincy) Smith. On her mother's side, she was descended from the Quincy family, a well-known political family in the Massachusetts colony. Through her mother she was a cousin of Dorothy Quincy, …
Marriage and children
Abigail Smith first met John Adams when she was 15 years old in 1759. John accompanied his friend Richard Cranch to the Smith household. Cranch was engaged to Abigail's older sister, Mary Smith, and they would be the parents of federal judge William Cranch. Adams reported finding the Smith sisters neither "fond, nor frank, nor candid".
Europe
In 1784, she and her daughter Nabby joined her husband and her eldest son, John Quincy, at her husband's diplomatic post in Paris. Abigail had dreaded the thought of the long sea voyage, but in fact found the journey interesting. At first she found life in Paris difficult, and was rather overwhelmed by the novel experience of running a large house with a retinue of servants. However, as the months passed she began to enjoy herself: she made numerous friends, discov…
First Lady
John Adams was inaugurated as the second president of the United States on March 4, 1797, in Philadelphia. Abigail was not present at her husband's inauguration as she was tending to his dying 89-year-old mother. When John was elected President of the United States, Abigail continued a formal pattern of entertaining. She held a large dinner each week, made frequent public appeara…
Later life
After John's defeat in his presidential re-election campaign, the family retired to Peacefield in Quincy in 1800. Abigail followed her son's political career earnestly, as her letters to her contemporaries show. In later years, she renewed correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, having reached out to him upon the death of his daughter Maria Jefferson Eppes (Polly), whom Abigail had cared fo…
Death
Adams died in her home on October 28, 1818, of typhoid fever. She is buried beside her husband and near their son John Quincy in a crypt located in the United First Parish Church (also known as the "Church of the Presidents") in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was 73 years old, exactly two weeks shy of her 74th birthday. Her last words were, "Do not grieve, my friend, my dearest friend. …
Political viewpoints
Biographer Lynne Withey argues for her conservatism because she: "feared revolution; she valued stability, believed that family and religion were the essential props of social order, and considered inequality a social necessity". Her 18th-century mindset held that "improved legal and social status for women was not inconsistent with their essentially domestic role."