Abigail Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts on November 11, 1744, in the parsonage of the North Parish Congregational Church of Weymouth. Her parents were the Reverend William Smith and Elizabeth Quincy. Her mother's cousin was Dorothy Quincy, the wife of John Hancock. Abigail Smith's ChildhoodDuring her childhood, Abigail was greatly influenced by her Congregationalist upbringing. She received no formal schooling, but she was able to use the library and environment of her father's parsonage to learn to study the Bible, history and literature, including the works of William Shakespeare, John Milton and Alexander Pope. Although her relatives on her mother's side were well-known in Massachusetts, she was given a simple upbringing that stressed the importance of reason and morality. Although she is well-known for the letters she wrote during the Revolutionary period, she was embarrassed about her overall lack of education, and her difficulties with spelling and punctuation. Marriage to John AdamsIn 1759, Abigail met John Adams, a country lawyer, and three years later, in 1762, their courtship began. The two were married on October 25, 1764 in the Smith's home, five days shy of John's 29th birthday. The ceremony was performed by Abigail's father. After living in Braintree for some time, they moved to Boston, where John was able to expand his law practice. Between 1765 and 1777, they would have six children:
Abigail Adams in EuropeFrom 1784 to 1788, she joined John in Europe, on diplomatic missions to France and England. Her account of the voyage to England from Boston, the return trip and journals she kept while in England can be found in The Adams Papers' Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, volume 3. Abigail Adams, First Lady to Live in the White HouseJohn was elected President in 1797, but unlike her predecessor, Martha Washington, Abigail took an active role in politics, earning the nickname "Her Majesty," for supporting John's views on the influence of the French revolution and passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. In 1800, John and Abigail moved into the new President's House, which is now known as the White House, making her the first First Lady to reside there. The building was unfinished, cold and damp, which required fires to be constantly lit to make the place livable. She even used one of the rooms to hang the laundry on clotheslines, a far cry from the White House as we know it today. John and Abigail Retire to BraintreeIn 1800, Thomas Jefferson was elected President and John and Abigail retired to their home in Braintree. During these years, they were able to enjoy the rise of John Quincy Adams to prominence. However there were difficult times as they dealt with the errant ways of Thomas and Charles, and questionable investments taken on by the husband of their daughter Nabby. In October of 1818, Abigail fell ill with typhus and died on the 28th. Her last words to John were, "Do not grieve, my friend, my dearest friend. I am ready to go. And John, it will not be long." She was buried in the cemetary of First Church in Quincy. She was 73 years old, two weeks shy of her 74th birthday. Legacy of Abigail AdamsAbigail's legacy lives on through the many letters she wrote in correspondence with her husband and other notable men and women of the time, including Thomas Jefferson, James Lovell, Benjamin Rush and Mercy Otis Warren. Her letters stand as an important record of the Revolutionary era and beyond, and cover topics that include:
Suggested Reading "Ye Will Say I Am No Christian": The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values. Braden, Bruce. Prometheus Books. 2005. Holton, Woody. Abigail Adams. Free Press. 2009. John Adams.McCullough, David. Simon & Schuster.2001. John Adams: In His Own Words. Baron, Robert C. Fulcrum Publishing. 2009. My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams. Hogan, Margaret A. Belknap Press of Harvard University. 2007. Presidency of John Adams. Brown, Ralph A., University Press of Kansas. 1975. The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams. Cappon, Lester J. The University of North Carolina Press. 1988.
2 Comments
Dawn
6/19/2012 01:17:49 pm
So, a comment here about time-- obviously, I am not adhering to the one post per day rule. Call it life with children, or ADHD moments, or simply failure to follow my own rules. I do, however, plan on naming 365 different women in this blog. Clearly, that will now take more than a year. That's fine with me. I hope you keep reading, even though my posts are sporadic. It's been a crazy couple of weeks!
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11/8/2012 03:05:48 am
You really give your valuable information and link. Thank you for sharing....
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