Abby: a 21st Century
Visionary Living in the 18th
Century.
Forward: Abigail Adams was born November 11, 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts.
She was born in to the parsonage of the North Parish Congregational Church. Her father was
Rev. William Smith and her mother was Elizabeth Quincy. Although her family was one of the
leading families of their time, she was given a very simple upbringing. Abigail was raised by her
Congregationalist father who did not focus on topics of predestination, original sin, or the full
divinity of Christ. He found it more important to educate Abigail on the importance of reason
and morality in religious life. Abigail did not receive any formal schooling, but she was taught to
read and write at home. Her lack of education always bothered her because she did not have the
knowledge to spell and punctuate properly or to speak French. Instead she devoted herself to
reading many books on history, philosophy, Shakespeare, government, and law. Abigail took an
interest in the study of the historical impact in her life. Although she stood at only five feet tall
she was certainly self-sufficient. John Adams was proud of his wife’s independence. In fact, he
told her “He told her she was so successful in budgeting, planting, managing staff, regulating
live-stock, buying provisions, nursing and educating her children that their neighbors would
surely remark on how much better things seemed to go in his absence”
(http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/abigailadams.html). Activities such as budgeting,
planting, managing staff, regulating live-stock, buying provisions, and educating her children
were all under her control.
Abigail met her future husband John Adams in 1759. By 1762 the two were exchanging
humorous and mischievous love letters. John courted Abigail for two years before proposing and
they were married on October 25, 1764. Their marriage eventually turned into one of history’s
greatest partnerships. Abigail Adams was very outspoken about her beliefs and opinions during a
time when women were expected to be seen and not heard. She spoke up for the rights of
married women, primarily in the department of education. Abigail also strongly believed that
slavery was both evil and a danger to the American democratic experiment. While some men
were intimidated by her boldness, John took considerable pride in Abigail’s accomplishments. In
1774 when John Adams left for Philadelphia to serve as a delegate in the First Continental
Congress Abigail remained at home. Along with their separation began a lifelong
correspondence between the two. They began to exchange letters back and forth and in these
letters Abigail expressed both her own observant reports of New England along with her
response to legislation and news events of the American Revolution. In 1775 Abigail was
appointed into the Massachusetts Colony General Court, making her the first instance of a First
Lady holding any quasi-official government position. In 1176, as the First Continental Congress
began drawing up plans for the Declaration of Independence Abigail began to include her desire
for a government that would work to make the legal status of women equal to that of men in her
letters written to John. Although she was not successful in convincing him, these letters show the
earliest written requests for women’s equal rights. Abigail remained interested and involved in
political issues even after her husband John lost the re-election to his closest friend Thomas
Jefferson. She passed away on October 28, 1818 at age 73. Abigail Adams was the first lady of
our country for four years, and in that time she left behind a legacy that will live on forever.
Bibliography
http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/abigailadams.html
http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=2
http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=2
http://www.abigailadams.org/
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/firstladies/p/p_abigailadams.htm
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/firstladies/p/p_abigailadams.htm