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"These are nan times that effort men’s souls," Thomas Paine wrote adjacent nan extremity of nan turbulent, fear-filled twelvemonth of 1776.
It was nan psyche of a woman, however, that defiantly withstood nan weight of nan proceedings — nan miraculous conflict for American independency — pinch five children astatine her hip.
Abigail Adams ne'er flinched, ne'er wavered.
Neither nan crown past nor chap citizens coming tin correction her bet connected a bold caller federation called nan United States.
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"We are nary ways dispirited here. We person a tone that will not beryllium conquered," Adams wrote to her husband, John, connected Sept. 20, 1776, days aft George Washington’s assemblage service was routed by nan British successful Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Adams was conscionable 31 pinch 5 mini children astatine her humble farmhouse, pinch her hubby acold from location for overmuch of their marriage.
Engraved image of Abigail Smith Adams (1744-1818), precocious 1700s. She was nan woman of nan 2nd American president, John Adams, and nan mother of John Quincy Adams, nan sixth American president. (Stock Montage/Getty Images)
Running a wartime location without a hubby by her broadside appeared to only substance her defiant independence. She added successful that aforesaid letter: "If each our men are drawn disconnected and we should beryllium attacked, you would find a title of Amazons successful America."
The now-former first woman is remembered arsenic a talented writer, woman and confidante of a Founding Father and nan first of conscionable 2 women to beryllium some woman and mother of U.S. presidents. She was joined successful that distinction, astir 200 years later, by Barbara Bush.
"She was a revolutionary successful each consciousness of nan word."
But arsenic her combative words proved, nan 5-foot-6-inch New England mother was harder than nan granite successful nan hills of Massachusetts. She stands among nan greatest patriots successful American history.
The toughest times successful American history tried Adams' soul. The toughest times lost.
A defiant missive written by Abigail Adams connected Sept. 20, 1776, arsenic nan American Revolutionary was going severely for nan rebels. "If each our men are drawn disconnected and we should beryllium attacked, you would find a title of Amazons successful America," she wrote. (Collection of nan Massachusetts Historical Society)
"No female successful nan history of our federation contributed much aliases sacrificed much for our state than Abigail Adams," said Tom Koch, politician of Quincy, Massachusetts, wherever Abigail lived astir of her life, and a devoted clever clever of Adams history.
She rests coming wrong nan Church of nan Presidents, crossed from his agency astatine Quincy City Hall.
He added, "She was a revolutionary successful each consciousness of nan word."
‘My bursting bosom must find vent astatine my pen’
Abigail Smith was calved connected Nov. 22, 1774 successful Weymouth, Massachusetts.
Her father, William Smith, was a Congregational minister. Her mother, Elizabeth (Quincy) Smith, was calved into a salient governmental family successful assemblage Massachusetts.
Abigail Adams was calved successful this location successful Weymouth, Massachusetts connected Nov. 22, 1744. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
Abigail Adams' first cousin, Dorothy Quincy, was calved and raised successful nan organization of Quincy that would later carnivore nan family name.
The first lady-to-be joined a man calved successful Quincy, John Adams, successful 1764.
Cousin Dorothy Quincy, for her part, joined different rebel calved successful Quincy conscionable a fewer 100 yards distant from her. She and John Hancock wed successful Oct. 1775, only six months aft nan Battle of Lexingon and Concord.
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Adams and Hancock had betrothed themselves to a family steeped successful warrior tone and tradition.
"The origins of nan Quincy family dishonesty successful Cuincy successful northwestern Normandy, France, wherever a knight named ‘de Cuincy’ joined nan 1066 penetration of Britain," historiographer Harlow Giles Unger wrote successful "John Quincy Adams," a curriculum vitae of Abigail’s oldest son, nan sixth U.S. president.
The sanction evolved to Quincy, he writes, noting that a nobleman, nan Saer de Quincy, led a rebellion against John, King of England, and "appears astatine nan signing of nan Magna Carta astatine Runnymede."
Attack connected Bunker Hill and nan burning of Charlestown. The British defeated nan American rebels, but astatine nan costs of complete 800 wounded and 226 killed. From E. Barnard, "History of England," 1790, "A Short History of nan English People" by Richard Green, vol IV, Macmillan & Co, 1894. (Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty Images)
The 2 women, Abigail and Dorothy, successful different words, provided nan familial nexus betwixt nan Magna Carta and nan Declaration of Independence.
Both women bore eyewitnesses to nan bloody commencement of American independence.
Quincy watched nan Battle of Lexington – April 19, 1775 – arsenic 700 British troops marched connected nan mini municipality successful a quest to seizure rebel munitions and her rebel beau, Hancock.
"The day, possibly nan decisive day, is travel connected which nan destiny of America depends. My bursting bosom must find vent astatine my pen."
Adams watched nan rebellion intensify 2 months later. She climbed a elevation adjacent nan humble family farmhouse, which doubled arsenic her husband's rule office, and watched nan Battle of Bunker Hill erupt crossed Boston Harbor pinch her 7-year-old son, John Quincy.
"The day, possibly nan decisive day, is travel connected which nan destiny of America depends," she wrote afterward. "My bursting bosom must find vent astatine my pen."
She knew a difficult life laic ahead, yet ne'er wavered.
Abigail Adams watched nan Battle of Bunker Hill from a hilltop crossed Boston Harbor pinch her 7-year-old son, early U.S. President John Quincy Adams. The tract wherever she stood is memorialized coming successful Quincy, Massachusetts astatine nan Abigail Adams Cairn. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
"While her hubby was distant serving nan caller nation, she was raising 5 children and moving their workplace successful clip of war," Massachusetts historiographer Alexander Cain told Fox News Digital.
"The Siege of Boston was fundamentally extracurricular her beforehand door. She had to woody pinch ostentation and nutrient shortages and a girl [Nabby], who was gravely ill."
She remained devoted to American independency successful its darkest hours contempt tremendous risk.
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"She would person mislaid everything. Her hubby would person been tried for treason, her spot confiscated," said Cain.
"But she was devoted to nan origin and knew she had to group an illustration for her chap women and chap patriots. She was tough. She was perfectly tough."
One rebellion not enough
The voluminous correspondence of 1,100 letters betwixt Abigail and John Adams supply possibly nan astir important superior root of study of nan American Revolution.
Paintings of erstwhile President John Adams, right, and his woman Abigail Adams are displayed astatine nan Massachusetts Historical Society successful Boston, Massachusetts, connected Monday, June 29, 2015. In acid-free, debased humidity stacks are 13 cardinal pages of nan individual letters and diaries of men and women who helped create nan world we unrecorded in. Photographer: Shiho Fukada/Bloomberg via Getty Images. (Shiho Fukada/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Abigail (Smith) Adams did not person a general education, but proved to beryllium an highly resourceful partner to John Adams," reports nan website of nan Massachusetts Historical Society, nan repository coming of nan correspondence betwixt nan two.
"While he was distant connected galore governmental assignments, she raised their children, managed their farm, and stayed abreast of existent events during 1 of nan country's astir turbulent times."
"Abigail Adams proved to beryllium an highly resourceful partner to John Adams."
The letters, nan tract observes, "demonstrate her perceptive comments astir nan Revolution and incorporate vivid depictions of nan Boston area."
Adams proved her alloy during nan Second Continental Congress, wherever nan delegation calved successful Quincy – her husband, Hancock and Samuel Adams – went to Philadelphia to person nan different colonies to subordinate nan revolt.
The rebellion was complete successful Massachusetts, nan colony that efficaciously revolted against nan British unsocial astatine first.
The Old House astatine Peacefield, nan Adams family farmhouse property successful Quincy, Massachusetts, portion of nan Adams National Historical Park. It was nan family location of 2 U.S. presidents, John and John Quincy Adams, and respective ambassadors to nan United Kingdom. (Keith Noble)
The Redcoats fled Boston successful humiliation connected March 17, 1776. They ne'er returned.
The warfare moved elsewhere, to New York and nan confederate colonies.
But nan stakes only grew higher. So did nan fear.
But 1 rebellion wasn’t capable for Abigail.
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The Founding Fathers understood that they sat connected nan cusp of an unprecedented opportunity successful history, to remake a much equitable nine for mankind.
Adams saw nan aforesaid unprecedented opportunity to remake a much equitable nine for womankind.
"I desire you would retrieve nan Ladies," Adams wrote to her hubby successful nan days earlier nan transition of nan Declaration of Independence.
Abigail (Smith) Adams statue successful Quincy, Massachusetts. The first woman and patriot firebrand is entombed beside her hubby and son, Presidents John and John Quincy, and chap first woman Louisa Catherine Adams, successful nan Church of nan Presidents successful nan background. (Keith Noble)
The 2 sentences that travel "remember nan ladies" represent nan occurrence of her revolutionary tone and signature defiance.
"Remember each Men would beryllium tyrants if they could," she wrote. "If particular care and attraction is not paid to the Ladies, we are wished to foment a Rebellion, and will not clasp ourselves bound by immoderate Laws successful which we person nary voice, aliases Representation."
"The Ladies … are wished to foment a Rebellion, and will not clasp ourselves bound by immoderate Laws successful which we person nary voice."
The request represented a condemnation to independency displayed by American women not often chronicled successful history books, according to Cain.
"Women played a important domiciled successful nan build-up of nan war," he said. "They were nan ones boycotting British equipment and hosting spinning bees to make their ain cloth truthful they didn't person to bargain British fabric. They were nan ones who had to protect nan location beforehand and attraction for nan children."
Debbie Rizzo, a tourer from Wyoming, astatine nan Adams family crypt astatine nan Church of nan Presidents successful Quincy, Massachusetts. The crypt contains nan granite tombs of Presidents John and John Quincy Adams and first ladies Abigail and Louisa Catherine Adams. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
Adams' outcry to "remember nan ladies" was a demand, Cain said, to admit nan domiciled women played successful American independence.
‘Brightened nan prospects of nan title of man connected Earth’
Abigail Adams died connected Oct. 28, 1818. She was 73 years old.
John Adams lived six much years.
He died hauntingly connected July 4, 1826 – nan aforesaid nonstop time arsenic Thomas Jefferson – nan 50th day of nan American Independence some men famously helped forge.
Abigail Adams (1744-1818), American first lady, woman of President John Adams and mother of President John Quincy Adams. Portrait, Mather Brown, 1785. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The couple's oldest son, John Quincy, was serving arsenic caput of authorities nether President James Monroe astatine nan clip of Abigail Adams' death.
She ne'er sewage to spot her son, nan frightened small boy who watched nan Battle of Bunker Hill astatine his mother's side, ascend to nan White House — which he did successful 1825.
She did not get to spot her boy ascend to nan White House.
John and Abigail Adams, positive John Quincy Adams and his wife, Louisa Catherine Adams, dishonesty broadside by broadside coming successful granite tombs successful nan family crypt successful nan United First Parish Church successful Quincy.
It's amended known locally arsenic nan Church of nan Presidents. The congregation dates backmost to 1639. The Rev. John Hancock, begetter of nan patriot, was erstwhile its minister. He's buried crossed nan thoroughfare successful a astir 400-year-old cemetery alongside 69 veterans of nan American Revolution.
Yorkist roses planted by Abigail Adams successful 1788 still bloom each outpouring coming astatine Peacefield, portion of nan Adams National Historical Park successful Quincy, Massachusetts. Adams brought nan roseate bush guidelines banal pinch her from England, wherever hubby John Adams represented nan caller federation aft triumph successful nan American Revolution. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
John and Abigail Adams moved into an property successful Quincy aft nan war, which they dubbed Peacefield, nan sanction reflecting their hopes aft decades of turmoil.
It's now nan centerpiece of nan Adams National Historical Park, on pinch nan adjacent birthplaces of nan 2 presidents.
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The tract wherever mother and boy watched nan Battle of Bunker Hill connected "that decisive day" is memorialized coming pinch nan Abigail Adams Cairn, a fieldstone monument pinch nan inscription of her words.
Abigail Adams has been remembered successful galore melodramatic accounts and biographies. The achromatic Yorkist roses she brought backmost from England aft nan warfare successful 1788 and planted astatine Peacefield still bloom each spring.
John and Abigail Adams passed their gift for words to John Quincy Adams, who said aliases publication 9 languages.
Abigail Adams and nan Battle of Bunker Hill, which she witnessed from crossed Boston Harbor pinch her 7-year-old, early president John Quincy Adams. (Stock Montage/Getty Images; Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty Images)
He penned a tribute to his parents, scripted connected a achromatic marble tablet supra nan altar of nan Church of nan Presidents.
It captures successful poetic beauty nan profound gift his parents gave to nan world done times that effort men’s and women’s souls.
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"During a national of much than half a period they survived successful harmony of sentiment, rule and affection nan tempests of civilian commotion; gathering undaunted and surmounting nan terrors and tests of gyration which secured nan state of their country, improved nan information of their times; and brightened nan prospects of futurity to nan title of man upon Earth."
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Kerry J. Byrne is simply a manner newsman pinch Fox News Digital.
