Wife to the second President of the United States and the mother of the sixth. An enthusiastic advocate for women’s rights. A strong proponent for public education. A voice for the abolition of slavery. All of these roles, and more, describe Abigail Adams, an extraordinary woman who made many contributions to the founding of America. As the first woman to be the wife of a US President and the mother of another US President, her accomplishments are impressive and demonstrate the influence that women can have, even at a time when they were not allowed to hold office.
Abigail was born to William Smith, a minister, and his wife, Elizabeth, in 1744 in Massachusetts. She was the second of four children, and her childhood was marked by a desire to learn. Despite having no access to formal education, she became an avid reader with access to many books through her father and grandfather. Philosophy, government, law, and theology were all subjects she enjoyed and would serve as the foundation for her values and passions.
In 1764, she married John Adams, whom she had met two years earlier. Her husband would become a key player in America’s founding, as he was appointed as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774. He would become the first Vice President of the United States in 1789 and eventually the second U.S. President in 1797. Abigail’s thoughts and opinions were important to her husband and communicated through a vast collection of her letters to him. Through these letters, she was effectively an unofficial advisor to her husband as President. All the issues that he faced, she faced with him, providing perspective and advice to the controversies of early American politics.
Abigail stood up for the ideas she believed in, being a particularly strong supporter for women’s rights. Concerning women’s education, she is known for writing, “If we mean to have Hero Statesmen and Philosophers, we should have learned women.” She understood the importance of knowledge and fought to allow women to have access to it just as much as men. Even more famously, she wrote in a letter to her husband to “Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands.” Her correspondence with her husband, a key political figure during America’s early stages, would lay a foundation for women’s rights in the future.
She strongly opposed slavery and there are several letters to her husband on the subject. She wrote, “I wish most sincerely that there was not a slave in the province. It always seemed to me to fight ourselves for what we are robbing the Negroes of, who have as good a right to freedom as we have.” The same passion with which she approached the issue of women’s rights is seen in her advocacy for the abolition of slavery.
Abigail Adams is an amazing example of a strong woman who used her sphere of influence to make a difference. She pushed herself to be as educated as she could and to use her knowledge to bring about change in social and civil issues. Reflecting on her life should result in a desire to always be learning and looking to solve problems, whenever and wherever they are found.
Sources:
https://firstladies.org/home/first-ladies/abigail-adams
This blog was written by NeW Programs Intern, MacKenzie Newton.
