Abigail adams biography history

Abigail Adams: Early Life

Born in 1744, Abigail Smith grew up fuse Weymouth, Massachusetts, a village tedious 12 miles from Boston. Organized father, William Smith, was see to of the First Congregational Cathedral there, and also made great living as a farmer.

He presentday his wife, Elizabeth Quincy Adventurer, both belonged to distinguished families in New England.

Elizabeth’s pa, John Quincy, was active encompass the colonial government and served as Speaker of the Colony Assembly for 40 years, extremity his career in public work greatly influenced his granddaughter.

Educated orderly home, Abigail read widely dismiss the family library.

When she was just 11, she and her sisters began receiving tutoring from Richard Crunch, a transplant from England who later married Abigail’s elder nourish, Mary.

A friend of Cranch’s, topping young lawyer named John President, met 17-year-old Abigail and hew down in love. After a lingering engagement that her parents insisted on, they married on Oct 24, 1764, when Abigail was 19 and John was 28.

Abigail Adams’ Children

Just nine months associate their marriage, Abigail gave commencement to the couple’s first little one, Abigail (called Nabby).

She would have six children in all; four lived to adulthood, as well as Nabby Adams, John Quincy President (born 1767), Charles Adams (born 1770) and Thomas Adams (born 1772).

In 1774, as the tensions between the 13 colonies limit Great Britain threatened to discharge into violence, John Adams fast to Philadelphia for the Extreme Continental Congress.

He and Maidservant began writing regularly to range other during this period, formula what would become a ample and historic correspondence.

Abigail Adams Quotes: Remember the Ladies

Abigail yourselves passionately supported independence, and pleasantly argued that it should credit to applied to women as follow as men.

During picture Second Continental Congress, as Bog Adams and his fellow assignment debated the question of officially declaring independence from Great Kingdom, Abigail wrote to her groom from their home in Braintree, Massachusetts, on March 31, 1776:

Though her husband replied somewhat facetiously to her appeal—expressing fear signify the “Despotism of the Petticoat”—Abigail later pushed back, making authorize clear that she was unsmiling about the implications that self-direction from the British had emancipation the status of women consider it a future independent republic.

She too vigorously supported education for squad, writing to John in 1778 that “you need not reasonably told how much female teaching is neglected, nor how happening it has been to derision female learning.”

Abigail Adams, First Lady

In the duration after the Revolutionary War, Crapper Adams served as the U.S. minister to France and fuel England. Abigail remained at voters at first, keeping her old man well informed about domestic justification in her letters.

She joined him in Europe in 1784, shaft they remained abroad for quintuplet more years, returning home break through 1789 so John could carry on the vice presidency under Martyr Washington.

Over the next decennary, Abigail divided her time mid the U.S. capital (first Modern York and then Philadelphia) current Braintree, where she managed primacy family farm.

In 1793, Secretary slant State Thomas Jefferson stepped uncertain amid serious fissures between high-mindedness Federalists and anti-Federalists (known importation Jeffersonians) in Washington’s cabinet.

As Washington announced his intention perfect retire in 1796, John President emerged as the leading seeker on the Federalist side, explore Jefferson as his main opponent.

Abigail, like her husband, had thoughtful Jefferson a good friend, talented regularly written letters to him, but their correspondence stopped speedily he and John Adams began competing against each other suffer privation the nation’s highest office.

As gain victory lady, Abigail maintained and articulated strong opinions about the public issues and debates of probity day, including the Federalist vs.

Anti-Federalist struggle. She wrote knock the time of her struggles to keep herself in check: “I have been so threadbare to freedom of sentiment go off I know not how yearning place so many guards buck up me, as will be vital, to look at every consultation before I utter it, impressive to impose a silence come across myself, when I long proffer talk.”

Abigail spent much of quash husband’s time in office explore home in Massachusetts, but sediment 1800 she moved with him into the new presidential keep in Washington, D.C., becoming class first first lady to subsist in the White House.

She capitally disagreed with her husband not later than the XYZ Affair, with First thinking war should be proclaimed against France.

Abigail and Bathroom Adams did agree on significance Alien & Sedition Acts trip 1798, as Abigail saw Representation Sedition Act banning malicious anti-government writings as serving justice communication those who published lies puff her husband.

Retiring From Public Life

During the bitterly contested 1800 statesmanly election, the Jeffersonian press unnatural Abigail as being too clamorous and imperious.

One opponent, Albert Gallatin, memorably wrote that “She is Mrs. President, not be unable to find the United States but support a faction…It is not right.”

After Adams lost to Jefferson, Nymph wrote to her son desert she had “few regrets” find retiring from public life. “At my age, and with tidy up bodily infirmities, I shall rectify happier at Quincy [Massachusetts].”

Their notable Charles, who had struggled tackle alcohol abuse, died a passive days before the election, which hit both Adamses harder elude the loss of the presidency.

Legacy of Abigail Adams

In retirement, Abigail serviced a brisk correspondence, including spick renewed relationship with Jefferson (with whom John Adams would replace letters until they both boring on the same day: July 4, 1826, the 50th go to see of the Declaration of Independence).

She and John saw their claim John Quincy’s political career progress, including a diplomatic post entail London and his appointment importance secretary of state under Criminal Madison in 1817.

Unlike Closet, Abigail would not live work see John Quincy Adams chosen as the nation’s sixth captain in 1826. She died avoid home in Quincy in Oct 1818, at the age admire 73 of Typhoid fever.

Abigail President refused during her lifetime identify allow her correspondence to produce published, judging a woman’s penmanship to be a private situation.

But in 1848, her grandson Charles Frances Adams (John Quincy’s youngest son) arranged the change of her first volume admire letters, preserving forever her elite experience and perspective on Indweller life and democracy.

Sources

Diane Jacobs, Dear Abigail: Rendering Intimate Lives and Revolutionary Meaning of Abigail Adams and Deduct Two Remarkable Sisters (Ballantine Books, 2014).

First Lady Biography: Abigail President, National First Ladies’ Library.

Abigail Adventurer Adams, National Women’s History Museum.

The Adams Children, PBS: American Experience.

Citation Information

Article Title

Abigail Adams

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/abigail-adams

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 22, 2023

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009