Abigail Adams
First Lady of the United States from 1797 to 1801
Cite this page
“Abigail Adams.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/abigail-adams/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.
Abigail Adams. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 28, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/abigail-adams/
“Abigail Adams.” thisDay. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/abigail-adams/.
Who was Abigail Adams?
Abigail Adams (née Smith; 22 November [O.S. 11 November] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. She and Barbara Bush are the only two women in American history who were both the wife of a U.S. president and the mother of another U.S. president. Many of the letters she wrote to John Adams while he was in Philadelphia as a delegate in the Continental Congress, prior to and during the Revolutionary War, document the closeness and versatility of their relationship. John Adams frequently sought the advice of Abigail on many matters, and their letters are filled with intellectual discussions on government and politics. Her letters also serve as eyewitness accounts of the home front of the Revolutionary War.
Historical significance
She is widely considered to be an influential figure in the founding of the United States, and was both the first second lady and second first lady of the United States, although such titles were not used at the time. Abigail Adams's life is one of the most documented of the first ladies.
Cite this page
“Abigail Adams.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/abigail-adams/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.
Abigail Adams. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 28, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/abigail-adams/
“Abigail Adams.” thisDay. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/abigail-adams/.