First Lady Profile #9~Abigail Adams

Abigail was the support and 'dearest friend' who helped John reach the greatest heights. She will be remembered for this and also for her own strengths. Self-reliant, she raised her family and managed the farm for the many years that John was away during and after the war. Brave and caring, she inspired her family and friends to stand up for their beliefs, and found time to comfort them in time of need. Spirited and witty, she brought cheer to all around her.--Kem Knapp Sawyer

-Fortunately, there is a wealth of knowledge about Abigail Adams.  She and John wrote many letters during their frequent absences from each other.  These letters were saved (unlike the letters between George and Martha Washington, which were destroyed), thus giving us a wonderful picture of history:

Abigail started writing at a young age, and she never stopped.  She used her pen to reflect on-and influence-the course of history.--Kem Knapp Sawyer

FACTS:
-Abigail was born in November of 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts.  Her father was a minister and a farmer.
-She wanted to go to school but was sick a lot as a child and girls didn't have the same schooling opportunities as boys.  Her mom taught her the basics and she educated herself by reading many of the books from her father's library.
-She married John Adams on October 25th, 1764.  She was 19 and John was 28.
-Abigail had 6 children: Abigail (Nabby), John Quincy, Susanna (who only lived 13 months), Charles, Thomas and a baby that was born stillborn.

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.~Abigail Adams

-She was a strong woman who took care of her children and managed the farm during John's many absences in service to their country.
-Abigail actually watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from their farm and wrote about it to her husband.
-She was her husband's confidant and principal adviser as he helped shape the country by being a part of the Constitutional Conventions, being a foreign minister, the vice president and finally the 2nd President of the United States.
-She was a fierce advocate for the rights of women and African Americans.  Both she and John were against slavery and never owned slaves.
-She died on October 28, 1818 and sadly never got to see her oldest son become the 6th President of the United States.

First Lady Links:
-National First Ladies Library
-C-Span Series on First Ladies

My Abigail Adams Books:
-First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women--Susan Swain C-Span
-America's First Ladies--Diana Dixon Healy
-First Ladies--Betty Boyd Caroli
-First Ladies of the White House--Nancy J. Skarmeas
-John Adams--David McCullough

Reference Material that I checked out from the library:
-Abigail Adams--Kem Knapp Sawyer
-Abigail Adams--Alexandra Wallner
-John and Abigail Adams (PBS Video)
-Abigail Adams: a Revolutionary Woman--Jacqueline Ching

Previous Profiles:
-Martha Washington
-Dolley Madison
-Louisa Adams
-Julia Grant
-Lucretia Garfield
-Frances Cleveland
-Edith Roosevelt
-Eleanor Roosevelt