Painted portrait of former American first lady Abigail Adams.

Abigail Smith Adams

(1744 - 1818)

The second first lady of the United States, Abigail Smith was born into a wealthy family descended from Puritan ministers and prosperous merchants. Although not formally educated, as a child she made use of her father’s voluminous library and was tutored by her grandmother. She married John Adams, the second U.S. president, in 1764 and gave birth to John Quincy, the sixth U.S. president, in 1767. An abolitionist and supporter of women’s education, she wrote to her husband John, “If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women.”

All Writing

Voices In Time

1800 | Washington, DC

Public Housing

Abigail Adams considers her new home.More

Voices In Time

1775 | Braintree, MA

Desolation Row

Abigail Adams lost in a labyrinth of perplexities.More

Issues Contributed