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, and first presidential advisor in early America--certainly did not have "a nice, quiet life." She was an eyewitness to America's founding, and could be said to have helped guide the new nation through her observations and advice to her famously prickly husband. Later in 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 easily make her one of the Founders of the United States of America. Abigail met almost every important figure of the 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 of England, as well as King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France.
In The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman "Not Apt to Be Intimidated", writer and researcher John L. Smith, Jr., draws on more than two thousand letters of Abigail's (most of which were preserved), spanning from the 1760s to her death in 1818. In this priceless documentation of one of the most important periods of world history she comments on the varied personalities she encountered--personal and historic snapshots of the time. While John Adams was away from home, for months and sometimes years at a time serving in the Continental Congresses and as a diplomatic envoy in Europe for the fledgling United States, she wrote him frequently about their home in Massachusetts, their family, and, during the early years of the war, crucial information concerning revolutionary activities around Boston.
The Unexpected Abigail Adams 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 that modern readers will find very relatable. Having read and studied nearly her entire correspondence, the author has selected humorous moments, poignant reflections, and unique historical descriptions. The result is an unexpected Abigail Adams, one that transforms how she is perceived and recognizes her sagacious counsel during the formation of the United States.