Abigail Adams
Abigail Smith Adams (November 11, 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States. She was also the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. Later on, people started to address the wife of the president as the First Lady. So, she became the second First Lady of the United States.[1] She was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She belonged to a famous family of Massachusetts (the Quincy Family).
Abigail Smith Adams | |
|---|---|
 Abigail Adams by Benjamin Blythe, 1766 | |
| First Lady of the United States | |
| In role March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | |
| President | John Adams |
| Preceded by | Martha Washington |
| Succeeded by | Martha Jefferson Randolph |
| Second Lady of the United States | |
| In role May 16, 1789 – March 4, 1797 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Martha Jefferson Randolph |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 11, 1744 Weymouth, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | October 28, 1818 (aged 73) Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.A. |
| Spouse(s) | John Adams |
| Relations | William and Elizabeth Quincy Smith |
| Children | Abigail "Nabby", John Quincy, Susanna, Charles, Thomas,(stillborn) |
| Occupation | First Lady of the United States, Second Lady of the United States |
In 1801, the couple retired and lived in Quincy. Abigail died in 1818, at age 74 of typhoid fever.
Early life
Abigail Adams advocated for an equal education in public schools for boys and girls. In her earliest years, she was often in poor health. She spent most of her time reading. In addition to that, she corresponded to family and friends before getting married.[2]
Adams did not get any formal education in any school or college. Her father had a big library, so she studied many books and became smart that way. She married John Adams in 1764. In the next ten years, she had five children (a sixth was stillborn). One of her children was John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States.
Political involvement
Adams was a vital confidant and adviser to her husband John Adams. She opposed slavery and supported women's rights. In 1776, her husband participated in the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. There, Adams wrote her most famous letter to the Founding Fathers "remember the ladies."[3]
In 1784, Adams joined at her husband at his diplomatic post in Paris. She became interested in the manners of the French. After 1785, she filled the difficult role of wife of the First US Minister to Great Britain. She did so with dignity.[4]
Abigail Adams Media
Abigail Adams's birthplace in Weymouth, Massachusetts
Abigail Adams in later life, painted by Gilbert Stuart
Abigail and John Adams moved back to Peacefield after John's presidency
Abigail's grave at United First Parish Church, Quincy, Massachusetts
One of the last letters sent by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello to Abigail Adams, May 1817
-
Gilbert Stuart, Abigail Smith Adams (Mrs. John Adams), 1800-1815, NGA 42934
First Spouse Program coin for Abigail Adams. Obverse.
First Spouse Program bronze medal for Abigail Adams. Obverse.
,_1800-1815,_NGA_42934.jpg)
References
- ↑ "Abigail Adams | Biography & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ "Abigail Adams Biography :: National First Ladies' Library". www.firstladies.org. Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- ↑ Michals. "Abigail Adams".
- ↑ Black. "The First Ladies of the United States of America".
Other websites
Media related to Abigail Adams at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related to Abigail Adams at Wikiquote
This short article about a person from the United States can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.