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Marriage
On October 25, 1764 Abigail Adams marries John Adams. Abigail's maiden name was Smith before she married John Adams, who at the time was a lawyer. Although the couple moved a lot and were often separated, they had a strong bond and loved each other for the rest of their lives. -
John Quincy Adams
Abigail Adams gives birth to one of her six kids, John Quincy Adams. John Quincy Adams has an important historical role because he followed after his dad and mom, Abigail and John Adams when he became the sixth US president. His term of presidency lasted from 1825 to 1829 and he was a member of more than one political party. -
The Battle Of Bunker Hill
Abigail Adams watched the battle of Bunker Hill. John Adams told her to get away as quickly as she could, but instead she took John Quincy Adams to the top of Penn's Hill to watch the battle. They saw the smoke and heard the cannons of the battle from 10 miles away, distressing Abigail Adams. There is now a statue of John Quincy and Abigail Adams where they stood watching the battle. -
Second Continental Congress
The second continental congress was being held, debating the Declaration of Independance. Despite not physically attending these meetings, Abigail Adams still contributed. She wrote letters to John Adams suggesting a new form of government that would give women the equal status as men. Her famous words are “Remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors”. Although her full plan never went through, it is one of the first accounts of women's rights in history. -
Second First Lady
John Adams was elected president in 1796 and became inaugurated on March 4, 1797. This caused Abigail Adams to become the first lady, she was the second first lady in U.S. history. John Adams and Abigail Adams supported the federalist party and Abigail Adams was also a feminist who supported equal rights. John Adams won with 71 electoral votes in total. -
Alien And Sedition Acts
The first of the Alien and Sedition acts were passed by John Adams. The Alien act made it harder for immigrants to become a US citizen and the Sedition acts made it illegal to write false statements about the government. Although both Abigail and John Adams agreed on these acts, Abigail highly pushed him to pass these acts. These acts caused a lot of hate towards the couple because citizens thought it took away their rights, it even affected John Adams losing the next presidential election. -
White House
Abigail Adams becomes the first women and first lady to live in the White house. The White House was not completely finished and was still partially being worked on. Abigail Adams called the house “The Great Castle” but only got to live there for five months. The White House still had flaws though, Abigail Adams reaclls the mansion was always cold. -
Leaving Office
Thomas jefferson, who had beat John Adams during the election was inaugurated into his four year term. This means that Abigail Adams was no longer a first lady and was forced to move back to her home farm. Abigail Adams accomplished many things and was an important historical figure. Her main accomplishments include helping John Adams carry out his plans and supporting women's rights. -
Published Letters
The first book ever written portraying a first lady was published in 1848 even though Abigail did not want her conversations realised to the public. Abigail Adams’ grandson published this book and it was full of her letters from the past. She wrote over 1,000 letters in total and they give many accounts of the past, what life was like, explanations of debates/politics, and even recalls the revolutionary war. -
Awards
As a tribute to Abigail Adams deeds throughout her life, the Massachusetts Political Caucus initiated the Tribute to Abigail Adams in 1988. The Tribute recognizes women who worked for equal rights for women in Massachusetts. Abigail Adams definitely wanted equal rights for women weather it was politically, socially or even economically. She shows this desire through her letters and her works as a first lady.
