Abigail Adams and Her Times

The war ended in , and in Abigail traveled to Europe to join her husband, who became the first American minister to the Court of St. Following the Adamses' return in , John was elected vice president — and then president, so Abigail played a public role at the nation's early capitals. All the while, she wrote letters to family and friends that captured the events, the spirit, and the consciousness of her times.

The final decades of her life were spent in her beloved Quincy, where she took care of her household and her family, gardened, attended worship, observed political developments, engaged in social activities, and recorded all in letters. She died after a long illness on October 24, The Adams Family Correspondence. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, — Simon and Schuster, Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams —; served —; see entry in volume 1 , the second president of the United States ; she was also the mother of John Quincy Adams —; served —29 , the sixth U.

She is best known for her letter writing, which spanned approximately five decades. Never intended for publication, her letters were always newsy and often funny. They related the happiness and heartache of early American families and almost always included a discussion of politics of the day. When John was away on diplomatic missions, he came to depend on his wife's letters for information on politics and the activities of Congress. Abigail often instructed John to burn her letters, but he never complied with that request. Instead he held on to them, and from onward most of her letters to him survive.

Abigail Adams, in a letter to husband John Adams. Abigail Adams also wrote to her sisters, Elizabeth Smith Shaw and Mary Smith Cranch; to American revolutionary, historian, and friend Mercy Otis Warren —; see entry in volume 2 ; to such prominent American government leaders as Thomas Jefferson —; see entry in volume 1 ; and to well-known British author Catharine Macaulay — Macaulay wrote about women's rights, promoted education for women, and supported American independence.

Her writing greatly influenced Adams, who spoke out on a number of social issues of her era. Adams was a strong advocate of educational opportunities for women. She lived at a time when, for the most part, only boys were sent to school. When she first wrote in the s and s that women could benefit from formal education, many considered it a radical idea.

Adams's letters also reflected dismay over the legal rights of women concerning property. When a woman married, her property became the property of her husband. Another issue Abigail wrote on was slavery. She strongly disliked slavery and all forms of discrimination. She believed anyone who owned slaves had no understanding of the American independence movement, which called for fairness and liberty for all individuals. Adams's intellect, independence, energy, and wit show clearly in her letters. Her strength of character was shaped by the events of her time—the American Revolution —83 and the formation of a new nation—and she helped shape the nation in her role as the wife of John Adams, who became the first U.

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Her letters give a firsthand account of life in a critical time in America's development. The Congregational Church was the established church of the Puritan religious group that began settling in New England in the early s. Elizabeth's family included many Puritan leaders of Massachusetts. Abigail was raised in a traditional Puritan lifestyle that stressed simplicity, honor, and love of family over wealth. Although she never attended a formal school, Abigail received a thorough education at home.

She became an avid reader, spending long hours in her father's extensive library.

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Abigail also began writing letters at an early age to various family members. At fifteen years of age, Abigail met John Adams, an aspiring, Harvard-educated lawyer who was nine years older than her. At first, John did not care for Abigail's outspokenness, unusual for a woman of that era, but soon the two highly intelligent young people fell in love.

John lived 5 miles from Weymouth in Braintree, Massachusetts later called Quincy , so they began writing letters to one another most of their early letters were lost to history. John Adams and Abigail Smith married on October 25, John and Abigail's first child was a daughter named Abigail and nicknamed Nabby; she was born on July 14, Their second child, John Quincy, was born on July 11, He would become the nation's sixth president in the year before his father's death. The Adamses had three more children: Susanna, born in , died while still a toddler; Charles, born in , died at the age of thirty during his father's presidency; Thomas Boylston, born in , eventually followed in his father's footsteps, becoming an excellent lawyer.

In , a sixth child, a baby girl, was stillborn. Although Abigail's correspondence between and was primarily about family, her letters also showed her interest in politics. She wrote to a cousin in London asking to know more of Catharine Macaulay, and in she began her correspondence with Mercy Otis Warren. Through these letters they discussed such political topics as increased legal rights for women including the right to own property by married women and the right to an education like males.

They also discussed the horrors of slavery and the need for a republican form of government, one run by officials elected by the people for the benefit of the people. During that same period, John launched his political career by defeating a staunch British Loyalist supporter of British rule in a campaign to become selectman; in this position, he was responsible for leading town meetings, where community decisions were made.

Then in , he was elected to the Massachusetts legislature, a body not approved by the British. By the early s, John was known as the best lawyer in Massachusetts. By the mids, both John and Abigail were serious revolutionaries, committed to winning American independence from Britain.

Both cheered in December when Bostonians dumped tons of British tea into the Boston harbor to protest a tax on tea. John was selected as a Massachusetts representative to the First Continental Congress in to discuss Britain's ill treatment of the colonies. He was then selected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress when the American Revolution began in Leaving Abigail and the children at home, John traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to attend the meetings. Abigail wrote to her husband of all the military happenings in Boston.

The British had marched into the city and occupied it. From her home in Quincy, Abigail could see British warships in the Boston harbor.

Catalog Record: Abigail Adams and her times | Hathi Trust Digital Library

The Adamses' home was located right on a road out of Boston, so Massachusetts militiamen local army volunteers and citizens fleeing Boston stopped there for food and shelter. By summer , Abigail wrote to John that she could not turn her back on any Patriot anyone who supported American independence. Although the British won the battle against American militiamen, they suffered heavy losses.

On March 17, , Abigail watched in amazement as the British withdrew from Boston. She quickly reported this to John in Philadelphia. A few days later, Abigail wrote her most famous letter to John, the "remember the ladies" letter see box. Abigail Adams wrote the following letter to her husband, John, on March 31, , as the American Revolution raged all around their home near Boston, Massachusetts.

John was in Philadelphia, attending the Second Continental Congress, and Abigail took an active interest in his work. Knowing that he and the other delegates would soon declare America's independence from Britain, she implored him to consider "the ladies" when creating a government and a set of laws for the new nation. She wanted American women to be granted more rights and to be treated as friends, not possessions.

Abigail's letters span about five decades, and this letter has become her most famous. I long to hear that you have declared an independency—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 [were] your ancestors. 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 [start] a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.

Abigail Adams and Her Times by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

That your sex are naturally tyrannical is a truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute. But such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of master for the more tender and endearing one of friend. Why then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity. Men of sense in all ages abhor [hate] those customs which treat us only as the vassals [servants] of your sex.

Regard us then as beings, placed by providence [God] under your protection, and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness. On November 27, , Congress named John Adams as commissioner to France; he would join two other American commissioners in France, Benjamin Franklin —; see entry in volume 1 and Arthur Lee — He set sail on February 17, , accompanied by his ten-year-old son, John Quincy.

Neither John nor Abigail realized that except for brief periods John would not return home for nine years. Abigail took care of Nabby and Thomas and entered into new pursuits to keep the family from going into debt while John's legal career was on hold and producing no income. From Europe, John sent Abigail items such as handkerchiefs, Irish linen, ribbons, and fans. She resold them for a profit in America. Soon, Abigail dealt directly with European suppliers.

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She saved enough money to buy property in Vermont. John relied heavily on Abigail's correspondence, which was his chief source of American news and politics. To gather up-to-date news, Abigail kept a running correspondence with her cousin John Thaxter, Massachusetts Patriot James Lovell — , and Elbridge Gerry — , a political leader in Massachusetts. Thaxter served as a secretary to Congress and for a time had tutored the Adams children. Thaxter sent regular reports on political and military situations that Abigail could report to John.

Lovell was Adams's former colleague in the Continental Congress. Abigail wrote to him to try to find out what plans Congress had for John and what general issues Congress was discussing. With both men, she also freely wrote her own thoughts. To Thaxter, she expressed her dismay at the difference in educational opportunities available to men and women. To Lovell, she expressed her frustration that women could not participate in public office and decision-making.

Interestingly, Abigail did not take on the issue of women's suffrage the right to vote. By late , after nineteen years of marriage, Abigail and John had been apart as much as they had been together. The Treaty of Paris had formally ended the American Revolution, but it appeared John would have to stay in France to negotiate trade agreements with European countries. John and Abigail decided they needed to be together. Thirty-nine-year-old Abigail, who had bravely faced the Revolution at close range, was terrified of traveling across the Atlantic Ocean.

She had never ventured out of Massachusetts. Nevertheless, by the end of , Abigail and Nabby were planning for their journey. Abigail's youngest two sons, Charles and Thomas, were staying with her sister Elizabeth Shaw in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Elizabeth's husband, the Reverend John Shaw , was schooling them in preparation for college. Abigail felt confident in leaving the two boys with the Shaws.

Apparently the Active was quite dirty, and Abigail organized all the ship hands she could to clean the vessel. Once the ship was scrubbed down, she turned her attention to the food preparation, which she found inadequate. Abigail instructed the cook on how to make the food more appealing and made some recipes herself. The voyage took one month; Abigail and Nabby arrived in England on July Abigail and Nabby moved into the rented country villa, Auteuil, outside of Paris, where John and John Quincy had been living.

It had forty to fifty rooms, and Abigail kept discovering new rooms for weeks. She loved the extensive gardens. Although most areas were overgrown, she thought they were romantic and beautiful. The four Adamses were overjoyed to be together. Abigail's first impression of Paris was not favorable. She wrote to her sisters that even the grandest buildings were covered in black soot. She was dismayed at how many poor and dirty people were on the streets, including ragged children.

At the other extreme, the luxurious life wealthy Parisians led conflicted with her Puritan ideal of simplicity. However, within a few months, Abigail began to warm to the Paris scene. She enjoyed the theater and opera and marveled at the fashions worn by the upper-class women. Thomas Jefferson and his daughter Patsy had arrived in Paris a week before the Adamses arrived. Congress sent Jefferson as a commissioner to France to join and eventually replace Benjamin Franklin.

Jefferson and Adams had worked on the Declaration of Independence together in Philadelphia in , and in Paris, Jefferson and the Adamses became close friends, visiting each other frequently. Jefferson came to look upon young John Quincy as a son, and he greatly enjoyed Abigail's company.

Abigail's blissful existence was soon interrupted. On April 26, , Jefferson rode out to Auteuil carrying a letter from Congress. The letter appointed Adams the first U. Believing it would cap off his decade-long diplomatic career, Adams was thrilled to receive the appointment. Nevertheless, he and Abigail regretted leaving Paris. John Quincy set sail for America to begin his studies at Harvard. The Adams family settled in a house on the northeast corner of Grosvenor Square, a beautiful 5-acre park in London.

Abigail enjoyed a room of her own overlooking the square; there she continued to write letters. Describing London of the s, she began a constant correspondence with Jefferson, who visited on several occasions.

Catalog Record: Abigail Adams and her times | Hathi Trust Digital Library

The Adamses enjoyed being back in an English-speaking country, attending the theater, and strolling in the English gardens. Abigail wrote that while the wealth of some was obviously great, just as in Paris, it was impossible to go anywhere in London without passing tattered poor people living on the streets. The Adamses did not receive a warm welcome in London, and they were generally ignored. Abigail resented the prevailing attitude that Britain was far superior to the United States. The British believed that it was only a matter of time before America returned to British rule.

The snubbing of the American family continued, and British newspapers mentioned Adams only to blast him with harsh criticism. Smith's arrival was a bright spot in the Adamses' stay in London. Nabby and Smith soon fell in love, married, and presented John and Abigail with their first grandchild, a boy, in April By , it was clear Adams would not be successful in negotiating trade agreements with the British. Knowing the United States was not in good economic condition following the Revolutionary War, Britain was not eager to help the United States economically survive its first years of independence by engaging in trade profitable to the young nation.

British leaders assumed that the new nation would soon economically collapse and return to British control. Abigail, John, and Nabby and her family left London in the spring of Nabby's family settled in New York City.

Abigail had instructed a cousin to arrange the purchase of a larger house in Quincy for her and John and to oversee repairs. The new home would better accommodate the Adamses and all their newly acquired European furniture. The property was called Peacefield and would remain Abigail and John's main home for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, in America, the U. Constitution had been completed and sent to each state for approval. Assuming approval would come, rumors persisted that George Washington —; served —97; see entry in volume 2 would be the first president and John Adams the first vice president.

The rumors proved correct, and on April 30, , both Washington and Adams were inaugurated. The nation's temporary capital was in New York City. Congress provided a home in New York City for the president only. Vice President Adams found a house to rent about a mile from town in the present-day area of Greenwich Village. Abigail did not have the money for the move, so John told her to sell their livestock and borrow whatever remaining amount she needed to get there. John was unsure exactly what was expected of him as vice president and wanted his wife's constant presence and advice.

In June , Abigail left for New York. Following her arrival, she began regularly attending congressional debates with Sarah "Sally" Jay, wife of Supreme Court chief justice John Jay —; see entry in volume 1. They attended so often that where they sat was soon called the Ladies Gallery. First lady Martha Washington —; see entry in volume 2 , and Abigail had to invent rules for their own proper conduct as the wives of the nation's top two leaders.

They were responsible for most presidential and vice presidential entertaining. At that time, women were expected to pay visits and receive guests in their own homes. Martha began hosting regular Friday night receptions, which were open to all well-dressed ladies. President Washington greeted each guest, and ice cream and lemonade were served.

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Soon, Abigail began her own reception schedule. The receptions resembled the receptions of British royalty with one very important distinction: Anyone well dressed could attend. This practice symbolized the difference between America's republican society, where leaders governed by consent of the people, and British society, which was ruled by the king or queen. Only invited aristocracy, the wealthy upper class of British society, attended royal receptions. In , Congress moved to Philadelphia, which remained the nation's capital for the next ten years. Abigail was not happy about the move.

Philadelphia was the most elegant, fashionable, and sophisticated city in America. It was an expensive place to live, and the Adamses were short on money. However, she dutifully left for Philadelphia, where she stayed for much of the next two years. Due to health problems and financial concerns, Abigail left Philadelphia for Quincy in From until the spring of , the end of President Washington's second term, Abigail stayed in Quincy.

The family finances needed tending. Renting houses in New York and Philadelphia and constant entertaining had thrown the family into debt, debt Abigail was determined to get under control.

Abigail Adams

Charles Francis Adams — , Abigail's grandson who in published her letters, credited his grandmother with keeping the family from financial ruin. At this period and during all the long periods of separation from John, Abigail supervised the planting and harvesting of their land, hired workers, oversaw tenants who rented property from her, and purchased additional lands.

While she had been in Europe and when John's political offices took her away from Massachusetts, she continued her property management through correspondence with the caretakers who tended the land during her absences. By the fall of , Washington had decided not to run for a third term as president. Adams was elected as his successor and inaugurated as second president on March 4, Abigail did not attend the inauguration, remaining in Quincy to manage the house, farm, and finances. During this time, she also helped one of her hired hands, a free black youth named James Prince, who had enrolled in evening classes to learn a trade.

As the only black in attendance, community members complained that unless he withdrew, others would not attend and the school would close. Abigail interceded on Prince's behalf, talked to the students, and resolved the issue. The students—and most importantly, Prince—remained in school. Relations between the United States and France were severely strained, and many Americans called for war.

Although in control publicly, John privately wrote to Abigail that he could not bear the trials of office without her. Abigail's chief worry about being the president's wife was that she would not be able to refrain from saying exactly what she thought. Abigail set out for Philadelphia at the end of April. On the way, she stopped in New York to visit Nabby, and the visit was extremely upsetting. Unfortunately, William Smith had proved to be a poor husband and was frequently away from his family.

Tired and worried about Nabby, Abigail did not arrive in Philadelphia until May Soon, the first lady took on the turbulent Philadelphia political scene. Abigail managed the President's House, the name given to the rented house provided for the president and his family. The president worked long hours in his office every day. Abigail spent at least two hours each day, often four hours, receiving guests. In those days, guests included not only officials but anyone asking permission to see the first lady.

She also managed to read all the newspapers available and learned the names and viewpoints of everyone in Congress. During Adams's eight vice presidential years and four presidential years, Abigail was surrounded by America's most prominent and influential leaders. The political viewpoints of both Adamses lined up with the views of the Federalists.

Like the Washingtons, the Adamses opposed political parties because they believed that parties promoted individual interests above the country's interests. Nevertheless, American leaders split into two camps, Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. Federalists supported a strong federal government and in general were pro-British and anti-French.

Democratic-Republicans favored strong state governments and a weaker federal government. They were pro-French and anti-British. Unlike Martha Washington , who did not comment on political issues, Abigail involved herself wholeheartedly. Her marriage had always been a partnership, and she and John treated the presidency the same way.

John discussed important matters with her, appreciated her understanding of the issues, and generally followed her advice. Those who wanted to influence John often first sought Abigail's support. Some people criticized her, saying that the wife of the president should not interject herself into political discussions.

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