Revolutionary Abigail Adams

Background Reading

Biography of Abigail Adams

Abigail Smith Adams was born 11 November 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts, to the Reverend William and Elizabeth (Quincy) Smith.  She had no formal schooling, but her education included reading works by Shakespeare, Milton, and Pope.  On 25 October 1764, she married John Adams.  John Adams’ protracted absences from home (first while traveling the court circuits and later while at the Continental Congress and on diplomatic assignments abroad) often left Abigail with the children to raise, a farm to manage, the household and tenants to supervise, and extended family and friends to care for—all while the Revolution in Boston unfolded on her doorstep.  The letters she exchanged with John and other family members reveal her cares and worries, her frank opinions and advice, and give an extraordinary view of everyday life in 18th-century New England. 

In 1784, Adams and her daughter Abigail joined John and son John Quincy in Europe.  Abigail kept a record of her month-long voyage from Boston to England, her time in England, and her return voyage to America in 1788. During the 12 years of John Adams’ vice-presidency and presidency, Abigail moved between their home in Quincy and the national capitol in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., successively.  Again, the burden of their household and personal affairs fell on her capable shoulders.  Adams also acted as a highly trusted advisor to John throughout his career, including his presidency. In addition, she was also responsible for raising nieces and grandchildren entrusted to her care.  Among her notable correspondents were Thomas Jefferson, James Lovell, Benjamin Rush, and Mercy Otis Warren.  Abigail Adams died 28 October 1818, at home in Quincy.

Learn about the children of Abigail Adams too! (She writes about her daughter Abigail, or "Nabby," in one of the letters in this set.)

To read the correspondence of John and Abigial Adams, visit the Adams Electronic Archive. The published Adams Family Correspondence is available online at the Adams Papers Digital Editions. A timeline of Abigail's life is available at the Adams Family Timeline.

Close Reading Questions

Document-specific questions and glossaries

Source: Portrait of Abigail Adams, 1766 

1. What observations can you make about Abigail’s appearance How does this picture of Abigail compare to the description of Abigail in the image caption?

2. What about the portrait is similar to pictures we have of ourselves today? What looks different?

3. Why do you think Abigail had this portrait painted?

Source: Letter from Abigail to John 31 March 1776 (Remember the Ladies)

1. What are some concerns Abigail shares in this letter?

2. What are some of the roles you see Abigail playing in this letter?

3. What does Abigail mean when she tells John to “remember the ladies”?

Glossary

• Pusilanimity (pusillanimity): Lack of courage; timidity

• Saltpeter: white powder used for preserving food and making gunpowder

• Tyrant: a person who has complete power and uses it in a cruel or unfair way

• Independence: freedom from control of another person, group of people or country

Source: Letter from Abigail to Mercy Otis Warren, 3 February 1775

1. What words does Abigail use to describe King George and Parliament? What might this reveal to you about her opinions of them?

2. What does Abigail think the colonies should do in response to the King’s rejection?

3. Abigail wrote this letter to her friend Mercy Otis Warren. What can you infer about Mercy Otis Warren’s education and politics?

Glossary

• Infatuated: having such strong feelings that one cannot think clearly

• Infamy: the state of being known for something evil or bad

• Lord North: Prime Minister of Great Britain 1775

• Neroism: being controlling or acting like a tyrant, like the Roman emperor Nero

• Caluminy (Calumny): a false statement about someone meant to hurt their reputation

Source: Abigail Adams’ Dimity Pocket

1. Describe the appearance of the pocket. Does it look like an item that would be used for a purpose or decoration

2. Considering the various responsibilities Abigail had, what kinds of items might Abigail have been buying?

3. In addition to money, what other items might Abigail have carried in her pocket?

Grades 6-8

1. Abigail carried money in her pocket. What does that tell us about the financial freedom and responsibility she enjoyed?

Source: Letter from Abigail to John, 14 August 1776

1. Abigail remarks that education in America was never in “a worse state.” What evidence does she give for this?

2. What reasons does Abigail give for why there should be more educational opportunities for women?

Source: Letter from Abigail to John, 18 June 1775

1. Why do you think Abigail describes the day as decisive

2. According to Abigail, what happened at the battle? What details is she unsure of/does she not know?

3. (Grades 3-5) How does Abigail feel about Dr. Warren’s death? What words does she use that show this?

4. (Grades 6-8) What is the tone of this letter? Provide an example from the text to support your answer.

Glossary 

• Decisive: very important for the final result of a particular situation

• Ignominiously: shamefully or disgracefully

• Sabbath: in some religions, the holy day of the week that is used for worship and rest. For Christians like Abigail, Sunday is the Sabbath.

• Intrenchments (Entrenchment): A system of long narrow holes used by soldiers for defense during a battle.

Source: Letter from Abigail to John, January 2, 1779

1. According to this letter, what are the different ways colonists could pay for goods?

2. What is one frustration Abigail expresses about the current financial situation?

3. Why do you think Abigail wrote this letter to John detailing her recent financial decisions and the overall financial situation in her community?

Glossary 

• Bills (of exchange): a written order to pay a sum of money to a particular person on a particular date. It was a common form of payment in the colonies when there were not enough coins

• Remittance: money sent to someone to pay for something

• Hard money: actual, physical coins and cash

• Expenditure: an amount of money spent

• Embargo: an official order that bans trade with another country

Suggested Activities

Activity 1. Drawing Connections: Portrait of Abigail Adams (Grades 3-5)

Introduce students to Abigail Adams by first displaying her portrait. Without telling students who she is or background information, ask them to make observations about what they notice in the painting. As they study the painting, they should consider the following:

• Do you think this person is alive today or a long time ago?

• How would you describe their clothing? What might this suggest about their wealth and status?

• Why might this person have wanted to have this painting made?

After students have had time to examine the painting and offer observations, share with students that this is a painting of Abigail Adams. Together, read this short biography of Abigail and ask students if any details about her surprise them based upon the conclusions they drew from her painting.

As the biography stated, this painting was done shortly after John and Abigail’s marriage and may have been made to mark the occasion. Explain to students that in Colonial America, portraits were a way for people to mark a special occasion in their lives or show people something about themselves, similar to the way we use social media today. It was not uncommon for people to be painted in clothing or with items that revealed something about their hobbies, careers or where they lived. You can show students examples of other portraits, such as these:

• Increase Mather, 1688

• John Hancock, 1770-1772

• Dorothy Quincy (Mrs. Edward Jackson), circa 1720

Now ask students to think about an important event in their lives and draw a portrait of themselves to remember that occasion. In their portrait, they should include items, clothing or a background that tells the viewer more about who they are.

Activity 2. Integrating Information: Abigail’s various roles

“Abigail’s Many Hats” worksheet

Abigail took on many roles for her family and her community. She commented on politics of the times, reported news to John while he was away, took care of her family and family businesses and pushed for more equal treatment of women. In this activity, students read quotes from three of Abigail’s letters to decide which role(s) she most embodies in each.

Activity 3. Analyzing Language: Revolutionary Rhetoric

Materials: Activity 3 Revolutionary Rhetoric worksheet

In the 3 February 1775 letter to her friend Mercy Otis Warren, Abigail reacts to news that King George III has rejected the Suffolk Resolves, an attempt by the colonists to reach an agreement with King George and Parliament following the Coercive Acts. 

The worksheet chart contains excerpts from Abigail’s letter. After reading each quote, students will write what they think the quote implies about Abigail’s feelings toward Great Britain in the empty column.

Activity 4. Finding Evidence: Abigail the Businesswoman

Materials: Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 2 January 1779

Secondary reading: “Financial Advice From Abigail Adams” by Woody Holton

While John was in France acting as a representative of Massachusetts and later the United States during the Revolutionary War, Abigail was responsible for managing the farm and making financial decisions. Her January 2, 1779 letter to John, gives us a glimpse into the complexity of the colonial economy. 

For more information, students can also read “Financial Advice from Abigail Adams,” Professor Woody Holton’s 2009 op-ed in The Washington Post.

Read the letter as a class. Then, consider the following questions:

1. What are the different ways people today pay things? Brainstorm alone or with a partner and make a list. Now, take a look at Abigail’s letter. What are some of the ways she pays for things?

2. At the beginning of the letter, Abigail refers to advice John has given her. Does she agree or disagree with his advice? How do you know?

3. Abigail, like other colonists, used bills (of exchange) as a stand in for hard currency because there were not enough coins. What evidence does Abigail give in this letter for the lack of hard money available?

4. “I will give you one instance of prices here. Yesterday I gave 12 pounds Lawfull Money for one pound of Bohea tea and 14 pounds of ordinary brown sugar. Our crops were so cut of by the drought, and distroyed by the Storm, that 23 Bushels of corn is the sum total of my last years crop. Not a single Barrel of cider was made upon the Farm. I do not exaggerate when I say that 100 and hundreds of families have not a mouth full of Bread to eat. Grain is not to be had at any rate in this State and the Embargoes of other States, has hitherto prevented any supplies."
   
   According to this quote, one is one reason why prices for goods are so high?

5. After reading this letter, does it feel simple or complicated to make purchases during this time? Explain your reasoning.

Activity 5. Historical Perspectives: Pockets–Then and Now

Abigail’s Pocket

Materials: 

• Primary source: Abigail’s pocket
• Grades 3-5 worksheet
• Grades 6-8 worksheet

Grades 3-5

In this activity, students will draw pictures of what they think colonial women carried in their pockets and what people today put in their pockets. They will then compare the items to draw conclusions about the similarities and differences in material culture between the colonial era and today.

Have students complete the Abigail’s Pocket (grades 3-5) worksheet.

Then, discuss the following questions. Students can then choose to write a response to one of the questions.

Questions to Consider

• What items are the same in each pocket? 
• Are there any items that are different but have similar uses? Explain.
• Do you think people in colonial times and people today use their pockets in similar or different ways? Explain. 

Grades 6-8

Using quotes from letters of various Adams family members, students will identify the types of items kept in pockets in the colonial era. They will then compare those to items kept in pockets today to draw a conclusion about the similarities and differences between the material culture of Colonial America and the present day.

Have students complete Abigail’s Pocket (grades 6-8) worksheet.

Then, have them discuss or write about these questions:

• How do the items in the Adams’ family pockets compare to the items people carry in their pockets today?
• What other items might they carry that were not mentioned?
• Do any of the items from colonial America and present day America share similar purposes?
• In your opinion, is the way people in Colonial America used pockets similar or different to the way people today use pockets? Explain.

Activity 6: Close Reading: The Battle of Bunker Hill

Materials:

• Letter from Abigail to John 18 June 1775
• Battle of Bunker Hill close reading worksheet

Have students complete the close reading of Abigail’s 18 June 1775 letter using Part 1 of the worksheet.

Then, have students complete Part 2, in which they determine how Abigail's different roles may shape her perspective on the Battle of Bunker Hill.

• Ask students to keep in mind the many roles we have seen Abigail play– reporter, political commentator, mother, business woman, and women’s rights advocate. Students should then choose two of these roles, and explain how they may have shaped the way Abigail viewed the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Activity 7: Close Reading Jigsaw: Remember the Ladies

Teachers introduce this lesson by situating students in the world of Abigail Adams in the spring of 1776. The events of Lexington and Concord are still fresh, John Adams is still in Philadelphia at the Second Continental Congress, the British have just evacuated Boston, and the war is still close to home.

In a jigsaw activity (resources on Jigsaws here and here), students will explore several excerpts from Abigail Adams' letters in spring of 1776 to learn about her many roles and the war taking place around her. What students won't know until later is that all of their excerpts are from the same letter--the well-known "Remember the Ladies" letter! This activity demonstrates the complexity of daily life for a woman in the 18th century as well as how much students can learn from a single primary source. This activity also provides important context for Abigail's letter from 31 May 1776, so that students learn that "Remember the Ladies" is more than just a famous quote.

Lesson Materials and Worksheets

Applicable Standards

MA History and Social Science Frameworks

Grades 3-5 Content Standards

Grade 3, Topic 6, Massachusetts in the 18th Century Through the American Revolution

Grade 5, Topic 2, Reasons for Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the Formation of Government

Grades 3-5 Practice Standards

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text states explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak knowledgeably about the subject.

Grades 6-8 Content Standards

Grade 8, Topic 2, The Development of the United States Government

Grades 6-8 Practice Standards

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, quoting or paraphrasing as appropriate.

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

English Language Arts and Literacy Frameworks

Grades 3-5

Determine one or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize a text.

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s). 

Grades 6-8

Determine a text’s central idea(s) and analyze its/their development over the course of the text, including relationships to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of a text.

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. 

C3 Frameworks

Grades 3-5

D2.His.10.3-5. Compare information provided by different historical sources about the past.

D2.His.11.3-5. Infer the intended audience and purpose of a historical source from information within the source itself.

D2.His.16.3-5. Use evidence to develop a claim about the past

Grades 6-8

D2.Eco.6.6-8. Explain how changes in supply and demand cause changes in prices and quantities of goods and services, labor, credit, and foreign currencies.

D2.His.4.6-8. Analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.

D2.His.16.6-8. Organize applicable evidence into a coherent argument about the past.