Abigail Adams – One of The Most Remarkable Women in American History

“Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.” Abigail did not lie when she wrote this in a letter to her husband, John Adams, and she certainly never let him or any person in politics, forget it. Abigail will forever be remembered as a powerful and important voice in history, with her opinions and knowledge about politics at this time making her a celebrity, and a beloved woman in society. Throughout her life she made her mark by giving out her ingenious advice and the role she played alongside her husband.

Abigail Smith Adams was born November 11, 1744 in the town she would grow up in, Weymouth, Massachusetts. She was born into a prestigious family with her father William Smith and his job of being the Reverend at the Congregational Church, and her mother, Elizabeth Smith, being a descendant of the well-known Quincy family. Abigail was the middle child among her siblings with two sisters and one brother. She and her two sisters stood out in their family for being smart and witty. William especially liked Abigail for her always wanting to speak about her opinions and thoughts. Unlike most children during her time, Abigail did not attend school and mostly stayed at home taking care of the ill, doing chores with her mother, and learning to read from the Bible. Even though people thought women didn’t need to learn anything more than household chores and how to read and write, William thought otherwise and taught his kids about not just how to read words and spell them out, but also how to figure out the meanings behind them. From these skills learned from her father, Abigail loved to read books from the family library and was fond of William Shakespeare and John Milton. “As a young child, she knew only that she loved to read”. She later went on to marry John Adams and had five children together, three sons and two daughters. John went on to join the First Continental Congress and because of him having to travel far away they started to write back and forth, this was the start of a long correspondence between them both. At one point she even spent 5 years with him abroad in France and England while he was on his stint working as a minister.

She first started becoming a notable person in history when she was appointed her first job. Abigail and two other women Hannah Winthrop and Mercy Warren (Mercy would soon become a lifelong friend) were hired by the Massachusetts Colony General Court in 1775. Their jobs were to question women of Massachusetts who were suspected or charged for remaining loyal to the British and working with them. This job made Abigail more respected and this was the first time a First Lady had a quasi official job in government. Abigail started to send letters to her husband in which she would argue about women's rights, although he did not originally take her seriously this was one of the first times there was written word about wanting equal rights for women. Not only that, but she also fought for equal education in public schools for girls and boys, even though she didn’t have an education. She started getting more involved with her husband’s job when he became the first vice president. She became close with Martha Washington and helped her with official entertaining. When George Washington retired and John became president she kept on entertaining and hosting receptions. John would always ask for her advice while he was in office and as a very vocal First Lady she would always try to defend him. Many people were bothered by this, some even taunting her and giving her the nickname “Mrs. President”, even though this hurt her she never changed the way she worked and acted publicly. She was almost always being mentioned in the news and was even quoted in town hall meetings in New England. Her letters and opinions were so sought after that people would even try to intercept the postal service in an attempt to take one of her letters. One political enemy was even successful and, “It wasn’t long before one of President’s Lady’s stolen letters to the President was being waved about and quoted by a man at a public debate in Massachusetts”; this made her furious and in another letter she speaks of how angry it made her. Once the White House had been completed, the Adams’ were the first presidential family to occupy and it was where Abigail resided for 4 years. It is also where she famously hung their wet laundry to dry in the unfinished room called the East Room. Abigail never stopped fighting for women’s rights throughout her life and her time in government; even after she eventually moved back to their home in Massachusetts after John’s defeat against Thomas Jefferson for a second term.

Abigail died at home from a stroke onOctober 28, 1818 when she was 73. She had been battling several health issues for most of her life but her death was still a shock to everyone that knew her because she had always pulled through whenever she was ill. John was heartbroken by her death after their 54 years of marriage but recovered quickly. Abigail wasn’t able to see her son John Quincy Adams go on to be president as well, making her one of the only first ladies to be a wife of a president and a mother of one too. She always said she wanted her archive of letters and her journals burned, but after her passing one of her grandsons, Charles Francis Adams, got them published in 1841. Those letters gave us a look at life through her perspective and how life was back then, and because of her large amount of correspondence we have hundreds of documents.

Abigail will forever live on as a remarkable women and an important figure in women’s rights and in politics. Her understanding and compassion made her a likeable person to everyone who met her and made her easy to get along with, and with her wit and perceptiveness giving her an advantage in debates and making points. Abigail was an all-around wise and inspiring woman and she will always be a reminder to remember the ladies.