The Unexpected Abigail Adams

"If any young woman wants to have a nice, quiet life, I advise her not to marry an Adams," wrote Abigail Smith Adams's granddaughter-in-law. Abigail Adams--wife to President John Adams, family matriarch, proto feminist, second First Lady, and first presidential advisor in early America--certainly did not have "a nice, quiet life." She was not only an eyewitness to America's founding, she helped to shape large portions of it working through her trusting husband, John. Later in her life, Abigail looked back and firmly stated, "no man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife." Abigail's unique contributions throughout her life led to the establishment and stability of the first new form of democratic government in the world. It easily marks her as one of the Founders of the United States of America. Abigail met almost every important figure of the American Revolutionary period: George Washington and his wife Martha (whom she loved), Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Knox, Samuel and Elizabeth Adams, John Hancock, John and Sarah Jay, Marquis and Adrienne de Lafayette, John Paul Jones, Alexander Hamilton (whom she hated), James Monroe, artist Patience Wright, and even King George III and Queen Charlotte, as well as King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. Abigail famously wrote more than two thousand letters, spanning from the 1760s to her death in 1818, a priceless documentation of one of the most important periods of world history. In these letters she comments on the varied personalities she encountered, personal and historic snapshots of the time. In The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman "Not Apt to Be Intimidated", writer and researcher John L. Smith, Jr. presents sides of Abigail's life that are not covered by the standard, retold biographies. The author interweaves Abigail's colorful correspondence--some of which has not appeared in print before--with a contextual narrative. The result is a revealing portrait of a remarkable woman very relatable to modern readers. Having read and studied nearly her entire correspondence, the author describes the experience as panning for gold, for her letters contain a wealth of nuggets of wisdom, but also humorous moments, poignant reflections, and unique historical descriptions. The result is an unexpected Abigail Adams, one that will transform how she will be perceived going forward and one that recognizes our national debt to her for her sagacious counsel.