The uneducated letter writer is one of the best ways to describe the life of Abigail Adams. From her early years of fragile health, which caused her to be unable to attend any formal type of education to becoming the one of the most prominent first ladies of the United States of America, Abigail Adams is truly inspiring.
Abigail Smith was born on November 11, 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She was the second of four children of the Rev. William and Elizabeth Quincy Smith. Most girls of that time received minor education which was only enough to help them write letters, balance accounts and read the Bible. The more formal education was normally granted to men. However, due to her poor health she was even more limited on this minor education. At age 15 she met her future husband, John Adams. Later at age 20 on October 25, 1764 they were married.
Abigail Adams by Benjamin Blythe, 1766
English: Abigail Adams birthplace, Weymouth Massac...
Tombs of President John Adams (left) and John Quin...John, at that point in time, was a lawyer from the town of Braintree (later known as Quincy, Mass.). Early in her marriage Abigail realized that through her husband's positions within politics, she would have a great opportunity to share her views of women and women's rights. John, her husband, held several political positions from a delegate in the first Continental Congress to the first United States Minister to Great Britain. Later he became the first Vice- President under General George Washington and then the second President of the United States of America.
Becoming a mother of six children, one being stillborn, gave Abigail a unique opportunity of living through the struggles of the American Revolution. For example, raising her children, tending the farm, and educating not only herself but also her children since the schools were closed due to the war. Doing this all while her...