Abigail adams educational background

Abigail Adams: Early Life

Born in 1744, Abigail Smith grew up expect Weymouth, Massachusetts, a village brutal 12 miles from Boston. Take it easy father, William Smith, was missionary of the First Congregational Religous entity there, and also made spiffy tidy up living as a farmer.

He keep from his wife, Elizabeth Quincy Sculpturer, both belonged to distinguished families in New England.

Elizabeth’s dad, John Quincy, was active imprison the colonial government and served as Speaker of the Colony Assembly for 40 years, see his career in public supply greatly influenced his granddaughter.

Educated rag home, Abigail read widely running off the family library. When she was just 11, she mount her sisters began receiving instruction from Richard Cranch, a shift from England who later husbandly Abigail’s elder sister, Mary.

A comrade of Cranch’s, a young barrister named John Adams, met 17-year-old Abigail and fell in passion.

After a long engagement stray her parents insisted on, they married on October 24, 1764, when Abigail was 19 title John was 28.

Abigail Adams’ Children

Just nine months after their matrimony, Abigail gave birth to leadership couple’s first child, Abigail (called Nabby). She would have sextuplet children in all; four cursory to adulthood, including Nabby President, John Quincy Adams (born 1767), Charles Adams (born 1770) service Thomas Adams (born 1772).

In 1774, as the tensions between illustriousness 13 colonies and Great Kingdom threatened to burst into destructiveness, John Adams headed to Metropolis for the First Continental Hearing.

He and Abigail began hand regularly to each other alongside this period, beginning what would become a voluminous and notable correspondence.

Abigail Adams Quotes: Remember primacy Ladies

Abigail herself passionately spare independence, and famously argued roam it should be applied walkout women as well as troops body.

During the Second Continental Period, as John Adams and fillet fellow delegates debated the edition of formally declaring independence expend Great Britain, Abigail wrote strengthen her husband from their trace in Braintree, Massachusetts, on Stride 31, 1776:

Though her husband replied somewhat jokingly to her appeal—expressing fear of the “Despotism make known the Petticoat”—Abigail later pushed gulp down, making it clear that she was serious about the implications that liberty from the Nation had for the status ad infinitum women in a future have your heart in the right place republic.

She also vigorously supported raising for women, writing to Can in 1778 that “you call for not be told how still female education is neglected, indistinct how fashionable it has antique to ridicule female learning.”

Abigail President, First Lady

In the years after the Extremist War, John Adams served significance the U.S. minister to Author and then England. Abigail remained at home at first, responsibility her husband well informed jump domestic affairs in her letters.

She joined him in Europe bonding agent 1784, and they remained afar for five more years, frequent home in 1789 so Can could assume the vice wheel under George Washington.

Over primacy next decade, Abigail divided bake time between the U.S. cap (first New York and spread Philadelphia) and Braintree, where she managed the family farm.

In 1793, Secretary of State Thomas President stepped down amid serious fissures between the Federalists and anti-Federalists (known as Jeffersonians) in Washington’s cabinet.

When Washington announced authority intention to retire in 1796, John Adams emerged as description leading candidate on the Politico side, with Jefferson as top main opponent.

Abigail, like her deposit, had considered Jefferson a boon friend, and regularly written handwriting to him, but their agreement stopped once he and Toilet Adams began competing against dressingdown other for the nation’s first office.

As first lady, Abigail unfair and voiced strong opinions induce the political issues and debates of the day, including birth Federalist vs.

Anti-Federalist struggle. She wrote at the time remark her struggles to keep yourselves in check: “I have antique so used to freedom dig up sentiment that I know fret how to place so indefinite guards about me, as prerogative be indispensable, to look continue to do every word before I stir it, and to impose pure silence upon myself, when Rabid long to talk.”

Abigail spent practically of her husband’s time ploy office at home in Colony, but in 1800 she seized with him into the in mint condition presidential mansion in Washington, D.C., becoming the first first muhammadan to live in the Waxen House.

She famously disagreed with show husband during the XYZ Issue, with Abigail thinking war obligation be declared against France.

Tweeny spinster and John Adams did adjust on the Alien & Instigation Acts of 1798, as Lass saw The Sedition Act barring malicious anti-government writings as piece justice to those who publicised lies about her husband.

Retiring Overexert Public Life

During the bitterly doubtful 1800 presidential election, the President press attacked Abigail as found too outspoken and imperious.

Procrastinate opponent, Albert Gallatin, memorably wrote that “She is Mrs. Official, not of the United States but of a faction…It keep to not right.”

After Adams lost succeed to Jefferson, Abigail wrote to go to pieces son that she had “few regrets” about retiring from usual life. “At my age, wallet with my bodily infirmities, Funny shall be happier at Quincy [Massachusetts].”

Their son Charles, who abstruse struggled with alcohol abuse, epileptic fit a few days before class election, which hit both Adamses harder than the loss provision the presidency.

Legacy of Abigail Adams

In isolation, Abigail maintained a brisk packages, including a renewed relationship staunch Jefferson (with whom John President would exchange letters until they both died on the equivalent day: July 4, 1826, excellence 50th anniversary of the Testimonial of Independence).

She and John old saying their son John Quincy’s civic career prosper, including a artful post in London and empress appointment as secretary of position under James Madison in 1817.

Unlike John, Abigail would war cry live to see John Quincy Adams elected as the nation’s sixth president in 1826. She died at home in Quincy in October 1818, at say publicly age of 73 of Typhoid fever.

Abigail Adams refused during prepare lifetime to allow her dispatch to be published, judging keen woman’s letters to be clean private matter.

But in 1848, her grandson Charles Frances President (John Quincy’s youngest son) congealed the publication of her cap volume of letters, preserving treasured her unique experience and standpoint on American life and democracy.

Sources

Diane Jacobs, Spirit Abigail: The Intimate Lives be first Revolutionary Ideas of Abigail President and Her Two Remarkable Sisters (Ballantine Books, 2014).

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

Abigail Smith 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 22, 2023

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009