Untitled Essay, Research Paper

Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was a unique women because she had an education and an interest

in politics. She learned how to read and write and enjoyed poems most. She

was also very resourceful by helping her husband on difficult problems.

Abigail was born on November 11 on the Julian calendar, or November 22 on

the modern Gregorian calendar. Abigail had two sisters named Mary and Elizabeth

or Betsy. She had one brother named William or Billy. Abigail’s name was

originally Abigail Smith. Each baby was baptized on the first Sabbath of

its life and was recorded in their parish records. Abigail live in a comfortable

house. When Abigail was sixteen, her father added a wing that was bigger

than the original building to make room for the children, servants, and visitors.

When I say servants it means that they were probably slaves but were called

servants to avoid the dehumanizing effect that the word ’slave’ can mean.

Their house was a sight of luxury in the eyes of the common folk in the parish.

Though they lived well, the Smiths had no fortune. Abigail’s father often

worked with his own hands, planting corn and potatoes, gathering hay, sowing

barley, or making sure that his sheep received proper care. Abigail, with

the help of her family grew a very religious bond between each other and

a long lasting friendship.

Abigail never went to a real school because of poor health. So, she learned

at home. Her father’s library was not big, but she still went to it to read

books. Abigail’s favorite books were novels by Samuel Richardson. Abigail’s

father knew John Adams by working with him and she grew rather close to him

starting a wedding. This now made her name Abigail Adams. Their wedding was

held on October 25, 1764, a month before her twentieth birthday. John was

a lawyer and very often was not at home due to court cases he had to attend

to. When Abigail was pregnant with her first son, John was only at home for

eight out of the nine months. The baby was born on a hot day on the morning

of July 14, 1765. The baby’s name was ‘Abigail’, but was called Nabby. She

was with her parents when she had the baby. Shortly after, she was again

pregnant. July 11, 1767, she delivered a healthy boy named John Quincy. John

Adams soon moved his family to Boston to be closer to his important clients

and the center of political action. In Boston, Abigail had two more children.

one named Susanna, who died thirteen months later, and Charles who was born

healthy at the end of May 1770. John Adams sent everyone in his enlarged

family back to there old house because of the recent Boston Massacre happening.

While Abigail was there, She had her last son named Thomas. John soon bought

a brick house back in Boston and moved everyone back in. Abigail started

teaching the children to read and write.

John told Abigail almost everything that he knew and went to her for political

problems. He understood what she could understand and trusted her. Abigail

became the most informed woman on public affairs in the nation. On August

10, 1774, Abigail parted with John as he left to attend the Congress called

at Philadelphia to try and unite the colonies against Great Britain’s plan

to punish Boston and Massachusetts. Though her sons would not be of military

age for another decade, Abigail dreaded war, in which only God knew what

would happen. When the shots at Lexington and Concorde were fired, John was

again off to the Congress and cautioned Abigail that she should ‘fly to the

woods’ with the children if the British attacked Boston. Abigail prayed for

the war and on June 17 John Quincy and Abigail went to Bunker Hill and watched

the roar of the cannons and saw the flames of burning Charleston atop of

Penn’s Hill near where they lived. Soon they learned of the British losses

and how greater they were, but Abigail knew someone named Dr. Warren who

died. He helped John Quincy from the loss of his finger. Abigail wrote many

letters to her husband and it became a way of life for her. She was always

keeping John up to date with what’s happening at the immediate point in time.

Abigail sometimes called herself ‘Mrs. Delegate’ because she was the wife

of a Revolutionary leader. Abigail continued to keep in tact with her husband

throughout the war. She also was very political. Then later she led a very

productive life.