by Jamie Elizabeth

Created on: November 17, 2010

Abigail Adams is one of the most prominent First Ladies in American history. As the wife of John Adams, the United States' second President and Founding Father, she secured her place in history by establishing herself as a strong, intelligent woman throughout the American Revolution and her husband's presidency.

Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1744, Adams grew up in a well to do family. Her father was a Congregationalist minister and her mother was the daughter of a prominent Massachusetts politician. Though she would later become an advocate for education, Adams did not attend school or receive a formal education. This was the norm for young women at the time. However, Abigail reportedly loved to read and enjoyed books on philosophy as well as poetry. At the age of nineteen, she wed her third cousin, John Adams, who was a lawyer at the time and would later go on to represent Massachusetts at the Continental Congress and then become the second President of the United States.The couple had five children together - John Quincy, Abigail, Susanna, Thomas, and Charles.

When John Adams left their Massachusetts home to attend the Continental Congress, Abigail and he wrote hundreds of letters back and forth. These letters not only demonstrate the deep love and intellectual connection the two had, but also provide insight into the history of the time. In fact, many of these letters contain Abigail's thoughts on matters of the day, including women's rights. As a result, she is one of the first women recognized as taking steps towards establishing women as equals in the United States. Adams' letters also include writings that support ending the practice of slavery. When many of these letters were eventually published in the 19th century they became the first published work of an American First Lady.

Upon the election of John Adams as President in 1796, Abigail Adams saw it as her duty to host and entertain visitors in a fashion she deemed appropriate for the President's wife. She not only hosted formal gatherings, but also received visitors at the Adams' home in Philadelphia and eventually at the White House. Adams also influenced fashion, as she eschewed the popular styles of the day in favor of plainer clothing, partially due to the difficult financial circumstances of the time.

Abigail Adams died at her home in Massachusetts in October of 1818 after a battle with typhoid fever. Abigail and John Adams are both buried in Quincy, Massachusetts.

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