She was only 19 when she married the lawyer John Adams, on October 25, who was also his third cousin. They moved into a cottage in the north precinct of Braintree, MA, today it is Quincy, Massachusetts which stood next to the cottage in which John Adam was born. Abigail and John generated much correspondence between them. It is through this candid correspondence that we know so much about their growth in many different aspects of life.
Abigail was never shy with regard to her opinions. Often her husband asked for her advice and she was sure to give it. When he was abroad, she kept him abreast of all the political changes.
Yet the Adamses were deeply mired in tragedy. John and Abigail Adams had three sons and two daughters, one of whom, Susanna, died in infancy. One son became president of the United States. The other two died alcoholics.
William Stephens Smith, but the marriage was such a disaster that Adams eventually wished that adventurer and reprobate dead — and said so to him in writing. The Adams offspring received, in the words of family biographer Paul C. And if you do not rise to the head not only of your profession, but of your country, it will be owing to your own laziness, slovenliness, and obstinacy.
Abigail Adams was no different, always underscoring what a disappointment her children would be if they fell into sin and lost virtue. Among the long list of sins and vices the young children had to guard against were sloppy penmanship, slovenly dress and wasted time. In and of themselves these admonitions were not bad, but to the Adamses human frailty was to be countered with New England puritanical principles, and pitiless self-criticism was to be encouraged at the earliest age possible.
That bond gave John Quincy self-confidence that was rare among the other Adams children. John Adams sought to duplicate his success with John Quincy by taking Charles on a similar long mission to Europe in But Charles was only 9, younger and less robust than John Quincy was when he first went abroad, and this time the ship was in far worse shape. A series of leaks was so serious that it forced the captain to take the ship off course to reach the nearest port.
But the repairs could not be made quickly, so the party endured a 1,mile trip by donkey to their destination in Paris. John Adams called that the worst experience of his life. But John soon found out to his horror that beatings were given regularly by the Dutch teachers.
Pulling the boys out of the school immediately, John vented his indignation in a letter to Abigail. He had sobbed inconsolably when parted from her and suffered much homesickness. Charles was described by everyone as a charmer, but very sensitive and small. John agreed that his son should not travel unaccompanied, and arranged for a chaperone. For five months the boy disappeared. There is no account, no record of what happened to him.
He would never talk about it. Pulitzer Prize—winning biographer David McCullough treats the episode succinctly. Charles was sent to live with relatives in when Abigail joined John in Europe. She was away for seven years. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!
Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Abigail Fillmore was an American first lady and the wife of Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States. The first first lady to work outside of the home, she met her future husband while she was his teacher at a school in New York state.
Congressman and the sixth president of the United States. The first-ever first lady born abroad, she met her husband while he was serving as a U. John Adams was a leader of the American Revolution and served as the second U. The Massachusetts-born, Harvard-educated Adams began his career as a lawyer.
Intelligent, patriotic, opinionated and blunt, Adams became a critic of Great As a political activist and state legislator, he spoke out against British efforts to tax the colonists, and pressured merchants to boycott British products.
He also Betty Ford was an American first lady and the wife of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States. Ford realized the power of her position as first lady early on, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her husband took office. Kennedy, then a freshman U. In , Kennedy became the youngest man and the first Catholic to be elected president of the United States. As first lady, Jackie Kennedy Abigail rose early to tend to family and household matters and spent much of the remainder of the day receiving visitors and hosting events.
She still spent a lot of time back in Massachusetts because of her health. Abigail and John did not always see eye to eye on matters of policy. Once a great ally, France was in the midst of a revolution when John became president.
The country was being run by a five-man executive group known as the Directory along with a legislative body. The Directory had stopped trade with the United States and refused to meet with any U. In , President Adams was told that the French officials would hold talks for substantial bribes. This attempt at extortion did not sit well with him and he told Congress about the incident.
The documents related to the incident were published, and the whole situation became known as the X, Y, Z Affair as President Adams had only used letters to identify the French officials instead of their names. Abigail thought war should be declared while John sought out a peaceful, less costly solution. The couple did, however, agree on the Alien and Sedition Acts of The three alien acts were aimed at immigrants increasing the waiting period for naturalization, allowing the government to detain foreign subjects, and permitting the deportation of any alien deemed dangerous.
The Sedition Act federalized the ban against malicious anti-government writings and other works inciting opposition to Congress or the president. Under the act, penalties included fines and jail time. An ardent champion of her husband, Abigail thought those who published lies about John should be punished.
President Adams signed these acts into law and has since been rebuked by historians for this anti-immigrant, anti-free speech legislation. Around the time her husband was defeated by Thomas Jefferson in the election, the Adams learned of the death of their second son Charles, which was related to his alcoholism.
Abigail wrote many letters to family around this time, shedding light on the early days of the new capital and complaining about the unfinished state of their new home. A few months later, after John left office in , they returned to their family farm. With John now retired, the couple was able to spend more time together.
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