Abigail Adams Fun Facts: Here's All What You Need To Know!

The wife of John Adams, who was the first vice president and the second president of the United States, Abigail Adams has a separate identity of her own.

She was considered to be one of the founders of the United States. Apart from being the second first lady of America, Abigail was also the closest advisor of President John Adams and a women's rights activist.

Abigail Adams took part in uniting the first 13 states of the United States During the American revolutionary war against the British. John and Abigail Adams played a significant role as diplomats during wartime.

As the law practice of John Adams increased, some changes were made in their living conditions. Abigail along with the children moved to Braintree while John lived in Boston.

She was in charge of the family's financial matters, took decisions about investment and finances. Abigail was a fan of believing that there were many women out there whose intellect was not properly utilized just because they were women.

Apart from Barbara Bush, Abigail was the only first lady who was married to a US president and became the mother of another US President. Her son John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States.

Till her last years, she played a significant role in helping her son John Quincy to set up a career in politics.

She revived her correspondence with Thomas Jefferson who defeated her husband John Adams but they still considered him to be a good friend. This helped John Quincy Adams to become the President of the US.

If you are interested to know more such interesting facts, do check out the articles on algorithm for kids and all about Ohio fun facts too.

Abigail Adams Life details

The second first lady, Abigail Adams has well-documented details about her life, the letters that Abigail wrote to her husband during Continental Congress are preserved nicely. Those letters are full of intellectual government and political discussions of John and Abigail. The letters are insights into Abigail's early life and how she witnessed the American revolution.

Abigail Adams, born on eleventh November 1744 in Massachusetts was the daughter of Reverend William Smith and  Elizabeth Quincy Smith. She descended from a well-known political family of Massachusetts, the Quincy family.

Abigail's father was the pastor of North Parish Congregational Church of Weymouth and was one of the best-educated people in the community. Her mother served the poor and the sick of their community, Abigail Smith accompanied her mother in these expeditions from a young age.

She did not receive formal schooling.

At that time when studying was mainly limited to boys and female education was a rarity, however, she carried on practicing her lessons in her father's large library from a young age. Abigail Adams was an extremely erudite first lady and a lady of honor.

Abigail Smith met John Adams for the first time when she was 15 years old and she married John Adams on 25th October 1764. John Adams had two younger brothers  Peter and Elihu Adams.

Even though Abigail's mother was more fond of marrying her daughter to a country lawyer who could take care of their family farm, but she ultimately gave in.

Abigail and John lived in Massachusetts in the beginning but later moved to Boston. John Adams was in Europe without Abigail for nearly five years before meeting in London.

Abigail gave birth to six children within 12 years.

Her husband John became elected as the First Vice President and the second President of the United States following the contributions of John and Abigail in the revolutionary war. Abigail took an active part in politics, she was so politically active that her opponents nicknames her as Mrs. President.

Their family spent a small span in the President's house which is currently known as the White House since John Adams served only for four years.

After John retired, they settled in their home in Massachusetts but the retirement was a happy one. Abigail Adams died of typhoid fever after John's retirement following the death of their daughter Nabby a few years back.

Abigail Adams And Her Role in Women's Rights

Not only a diplomat for her husband, but Abigail Adams voiced loud and clear for the rights of women also. During a period, when women were not even allowed to have a basic education, she started fighting for equal voting rights and property rights.

Her thought process was way ahead of her time and modern feminists look at Abigail Adams as one of the first harbingers of basic women's rights.

Being a married woman and hearing about the miseries of other housewives, she started advocating her voice for these miserable women of her community. She wished for women to have equal rights to education as well as voting and property rights.

She stated that apart from looking after the family and blindly serving the husbands, a woman's point of view should also be considered to guide a family properly. She knew the only way the women could speak up was through education and pushed hard for their educational rights.

In a letter to her husband during the Continental Congress, Abigail wrote 'Remember the ladies.' She requested the officials to be more kind and generous to the women rather than just showering power into the hands of men.

She also stated her fear that any man with so much unequal power could readily turn into a tyrant if they wanted.

Abigail despised the law that gave abnormal power in the hands of men and stated once the women of the US united they would start a rebellion without binding by the law that fails to give women appropriate respect. However, even her husband failed to understand the miseries of women and discarded her demands.

Why was Abigail Adams a notable figure in the revolutionary era?

In the 18th century when women were reduced to mere housewives meant for serving their husbands, Abigail Adams took an active part in the history of the American Revolution, she was the strongest female voice during the American revolutionary era.

Abigail Adams was known for her intelligence in the world of politics at the time, she was also the key advisor of her husband John Adams.

Abigail became the first lady ever to live in the White House with her husband.

Abigail and John married at a very young age. She single-handedly took care of the family when her husband became busy with the works of revolution.

When John Adams went to Philadelphia to serve as a delegate, she wrote many letters to John.

These letters later documented the influence of Abigail Adams on each and every decision of her husband and the excellent diplomatic mindset of the lady. The letters also wonderfully documented the formation of a new nation with new sets of rules and rights for this young nation.

Her skilled managing abilities and confidence to keep the family together without the presence of a man at such a time period helped John Adams to pursue his career in politics. She helped her husband in any form of revolutionary work when John fought for the freedom of the nation from Great Britain.

She spun and wove her own cloth when the Americans boycotted the use of British imported goods and supported the revolution with the whole heart as much as she could.

Apart from critical thinking, Abigail Adams insisted on equal rights for married women as well. However, it was ultimately not taken into consideration at such an age of conservatism.

Why was Abigail Adams the first first lady to live in the White House?

After the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century, Washington DC was established as the capital of the United States.

This city in the district of Columbia was declared to be the permanent capital of the United States by the Congress in 1790 and with the relocation of the capital, she became the first lady to live in Washington's White house.

At that time the city was in the wilderness and the presidential mansion was not yet complete. She found a beautiful unfinished mansion that looked beautiful and appeared to be habitable.

She moved into the house which came to be known as the white house later in November 1800 and stayed there only for the last four months of John's serving term. With this, she became the first lady to live in the white house with the president.

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