Legends of Liberty March 2022 - The Iron First Lady

[Mrs. Smith]

Good Tuesday morning, and Welcome to the March installment of Legends of Liberty.  In Honor of Women's History Month, we're delighted to bring you the story of Abigail Adams.

Abigail Smith was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, to Reverend William Smith and Elizabeth Quincy Smith. When she was young she did not receive a proper education due to her poor health, but she and her sisters had access to their father's library where they learned literature and their mother taught them from home.

She had known John Adams her whole life. Although her mother originally opposed her marriage to the country lawyer, she gave in and Abigail married a future president of the United States. They had six children, one of them stillborn. One of these was John Quincy Adams, who would one day follow his father's political journey and become America's sixth president.



Much of Abigail's marriage was spent at home while John was traveling, during which time they exchanged letters. Over their marriage, they exchanged over 1,000 letters. (Given the postal system at the time, this was extraordinary.) John served as an ambassador in Paris and London, as well as attending the Continental Congress. While her husband was gone, the Continental army camped practically in Abigail's front yard. She and her children did what they could to care for the soldiers.

During the North American smallpox epidemic that ravaged the continent in the late 1700's, Abigail had a doctor give her and her children a vaccine, consisting of severing a bit of skin, inserting some of the pus from the pox, and tying a bandage around it.  This went well for all except her oldest daughter, who came down with the disease so badly that they wondered if she would survive it. This disease caused large pus-filled boils all over her body, and gave her a very high fever, which left her shivering in bed night and day.  In spite of how badly she contracted the disease, she recovered, but not without scars from the pox marring her skin.

When the British fired on Boston's harbor and left the continental army with nothing to defend themselves, Abigail could see it from the window of her house. She could feel the vibrations from the cannons as she held her children close and hoped that what she told them was trueâ€"it would all be fine in the end.  Soon after the devastating event, a few officials from the army finally received what they had been requesting for so long: weapons. Unfortunately, although they received muskets they were dismayed to discover they came with neither bullets nor powder; they were still defenseless.



Abigail came to the rescue. She went home immediately, gathered all the silver and pewter in the house, melted it down, and, with the help of her children, made bullets for the army. After seeing the bravery of this young mother the soldiers were heartened for the first time in a long while. This beautiful act of loyalty gave inspiration to some of the authorities in the army. They heroically took up arms, went to one of the British bases, and stole gunpowder and three large cannons.

During the second Continental Congress, she wrote to John suggesting that the beginning of a new government was the perfect opportunity to begin pushing  for women's rights to be equal with men's, admonishing him to "remember the ladies."  This didn't happen in her lifetime, but she is one of the earliest known women's rights activists in the United States.



When John Adams assumed the Presidency she had difficulty, as First Lady, in keeping her opinions to herself. Being accustomed to writing and saying exactly as she thought, she struggled with the composure and civility that were required in an important political position.  Abigail was interested in politics and her husband asked her counsel many times before, during, and after his presidency. She was known by some as "Mrs. President" because of her strong political activities.  She wrote, "I have been so used to freedom of sentiment that I know not how to place so many guards about me, as will be indispensable, to look at every word before I utter it, and to impose a silence upon myself, when I long to talk." 

Thomas Jefferson won the next election in 1801, and John and Abigail Adams quietly retired from the political world, although Abigail kept a keen eye on her son John Quincy's rise to the presidency. She didn't live to see him win the election.  She died in October 1818 at the age of 74.  She and John are buried side by side in Quincy, Massachusetts.

[Kee]

Very nice write up, Mrs. Smith. Thank you.

[Mrs. Smith]

Very nice write up, Mrs. Smith. Thank you.

It was my pleasure, Kee. As with all things Appleseed, these aren't a solo effort. We work with the best people, don't we? 

[JustKim]

Great story!