Abigail adams educational background
Abigail Adams
ABIGAIL SMITH ADAMS was born 11 November 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts, to the Reverend William and Elizabeth (Quincy) Smith. She had no formal schooling, but her education included reading works by Shakespeare, Milton, and Pope. On 25 October 1764, she married John Adams. John Adams’ protracted absences from home (first while traveling the court circuits and later while at the Continental Congress and on diplomatic assignments abroad) often left Abigail with the children to raise, a farm to manage, the household and tenants to supervise, and extended family and friends to care for—all while the Revolution in Boston unfolded on her doorstep. The letters she exchanged with John and other family members reveal her cares and worries, her frank opinions and advice, and give an extraordinary view of everyday life in 18th-century New England.
In 1784, Adams and her daughter Abigail joined John and son John Quincy in Europe. Abigail’s record of her month-long voyage from Boston to England, along with two shorter journals she kept while in England and on her return voyage to America in 1788, are printed in The Adams Papers’Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, volume three. During the 12 years of John Adams’ vice-presidency and presidency, Abigail moved between their home in Quincy and the national capitol in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., successively. Again, the burden of their household and personal affairs fell on her capable shoulders. She was also responsible for raising nieces and grandchildren entrusted to her care. Among her notable correspondents were Thomas Jefferson, James Lovell, Benjamin Rush, and Mercy Otis Warren. Abigail Adams died 28 October 1818, at home in Quincy.
Children of Abigail Adams
To read the correspondence of John and Abigial Adams, visit the Adams Electronic Archive. The published Adams Family Correspondence is available online at the Adams Papers Digital Editions. A timeline of Abigail's life i
Abigail Smith Adams
Edited by Debra Michals, PhD | 2015
Hailed for her now-famous admonition that the Founding Fathers “remember the ladies” in their new laws, Abigail Adams was not only an early advocate for women’s rights, she was a vital confidant and advisor to her husband John Adams, the nation’s second president. She opposed slavery and supported women’s education.
Born to a prominent family in Weymouth, Massachusetts on November 22 [November 11, Old Style], 1744, Adams’ father, Reverend William Smith, was part of a prestigious ministerial community within the Congregational Church. Her mother Elizabeth was a descendent of the Quincy family. Like other women, Abigail had no formal education, but she availed herself of the family’s library to master subjects most women never considered. She also joined her mother in tending to the poor and sick.
In 1764, Abigail married John Adams, a Harvard graduate beginning a law career. The couple moved to Adams’ farm in Braintree, south of Boston, and had three sons and two daughters. As her husband increasingly traveled as a lawyer, political revolutionary, and—after the Revolution—a diplomat, Abigail managed their farm and business affairs while raising the children. Although married women at this time had limited property rights, Adams began to refer to their property as hers. She also made investment decisions that enhanced the family’s prosperity.
From their earliest married days, the couple began an extensive correspondence, which provides insight into the social and political climate of the Revolutionary and Early National periods in American history. In 1776, as her husband participated in the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Adams wrote her most famous letter that the Founding Fathers “remember the ladies.” She added, “Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.”
Though not exactly the feminist some historians h
Abigail Adams
First Lady of the United States from 1797 to 1801
For other people named Abigail Adams, see Abigail Adams (disambiguation).
Abigail Adams | |
|---|---|
Portrait c. 1800–1815 by Gilbert Stuart | |
| In role March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | |
| President | John Adams |
| Preceded by | Martha Washington |
| Succeeded by | Martha Randolph(acting) |
| In role April 21, 1789 – March 4, 1797 | |
| Vice President | John Adams |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ann Gerry |
| Born | Abigail Smith (1744-11-22)November 22, 1744 Weymouth, Massachusetts Bay, British America |
| Died | October 28, 1818(1818-10-28) (aged 73) Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | United First Parish Church Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6, including Abigail, John Quincy, Charles, and Thomas |
| Relatives | Adams political family Quincy political family |
| Signature | |
Abigail Adams (néeSmith; November 22, [O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. She was a founder of the United States, and was both the first second lady and second first lady of the United States, although such titles were not used at the time. She and Barbara Bush are the only two women in American history who were both married to a U.S. president and the mother of a U.S. president.
Adams's life is one of the most documented of the first ladies; many of the letters she wrote to her husband John Adams while he was in Philadelphia as a delegate in the Continental Congress prior and during the American Revolution document the closeness and versatility of their relationship. John Adams frequently sought the advice of Abigail on many matters, and their letters are filled with intellectual discussions on government and politics. Her letters also serve
Abigail Adams on civic education
To Adams, education was the civic responsibility of both American men and women. Only through education could women play an active role in shaping and strengthening the civic life of the nation.
When her husband complained about the “deficiency of education” amongst his countrymen in a letter written six months later, she noted that most of their countrywomen lacked any educational opportunities whatsoever. “What shall I say with regard to daughters,” she asked him, “who every day experience the want of [education]?”
She wished that “a more liberal plan might be laid and executed for the Benefit of the rising Generation, and that our new constitution may be distinguished for Learning and Virtue.”
From education advocates to abolitionists and suffragettes, American women have nobly contributed to the ongoing progress toward realizing our country’s vision, that “all men [and women] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Abigail Adams is a role model for Americans today who wish to educate the next generation in an honest and responsible manner. As Americans, we are responsible for how our students are taught our founding principles and history, and it is our civic duty to support teachers and scholars who believe in the potential of Americans to realize the equality Abigail Adams called for in 1776.
As Abigail Adams wrote in 1776, “the early Education of youth and the first principals [sic] which are instilled take the deepest root.” The next generation of American sons and daughters are our nation’s roots, and advancing civic education grounded in America’s history and founding principles ensures that they grow and thrive as civic-minded learners and citizens.