Abigail Adams

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Abigail Adams and the role of women in early United States history

Abigail Adams was born Abigail Smith in the British Colony of Massachusetts in November 1744 . Because at her time formal education was limited for girls , she and her two sisters learned at home under the guidance of their parents . Her father was a gifted reader who owned a whole library of books and because Abigail showed a keen interest in reading he encouraged her and allowed her to read about any subject or

that interested her . She developed such a passion for reading that her father 's library became the place where she spent most of her time in the early years of her life before marriage . She pursued other courses like letter writing , hosting , music and sewing at the encouragement of her family . During the lifetime of this great woman the United States was going through serious struggle to become a nation and the letters that she wrote throughout her life give us a glimpse of the type of life people lived in that era . The letters also reflect the nature of a woman who had a clear picture about the running of the country . Her writings also give indication of a woman whose lack of formal education did not hinder her pursuit for education a move that has been considered as very brave for a woman of that time . It is her passion for reading that ushered her into a world full of ideas that she was later to openly express to others through her writing (Akers , 1980

At the tender age of 16 years , a young lawyer by name John Adams started visiting their home and Abigail soon learned that he too had a passion for books . He also gave good attention to what she had to say about things and soon a relationship developed between the two that was expressed through letters to one another when they would not be able to meet . Abigail and John got married in 1764 and settled in nearby Braintree where John owned a farmhouse . The next year , they were blessed with their first child , a girl they named Abigail but referred to by her nickname , Nabby and two years later , their son John Quincy was born . Within a duration of 8 years , the couple had been blessed with eight children , the rest of them being Susanna , Charles and Thomas . In the first ten years of her marriage she was preoccupied with taking care of her young family and the farm especially because her husband was often away from home dealing with national matters . Her first stint away from her home in Braintree was in 1768 when her husband took her and the children to join him in Boston where he was busy with protests against the tough taxes imposed by the British colonial masters . She later on returned to Braintree where she was to raise up her family and run the home while...