The documents related to the incident were published, and the whole situation became known as the X, Y, Z Affair as President Adams had only used letters to identify the French officials instead of their names.
This attempt at extortion did not sit well with him and he told Congress about the incident. In 1798, President Adams was told that the French officials would hold talks for substantial bribes. The Directory had stopped trade with the United States and refused to meet with any U.S. The country was being run by a five-man executive group known as the Directory along with a legislative body. Once a great ally, France was in the midst of a revolution when John became president. During her husband’s presidency, the United States had some problems with France. She still spent a lot of time back in Massachusetts because of her health.Ībigail and John did not always see eye to eye on matters of policy. Abigail rose early to tend to family and household matters and spent much of the remainder of the day receiving visitors and hosting events. President.” The nation’s second first lady kept a busy schedule when she was in Philadelphia, the country’s capital at the time. Some critics objected to Abigail’s influence over her husband, calling her “Mrs. Political InvolvementĪbigail remained a supportive spouse and confidante after her husband became the president in 1797. While in the capital, in New York, she helped First Lady Martha Washington with entertaining dignitaries and other officials. When her husband became vice president the next year, Abigail stayed with him in the capital for only part of the time, often returning to Massachusetts to look after their farm and to tend other business matters. Their letters show him seeking her counsel on many issues, including his presidential aspirations.Īfter the revolution, Abigail joined her husband in France and later in England, where he served from 1785 to 1788 as the first American minister to the Court of St. Throughout her husband's career, Abigail served as his unofficial adviser. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.” Odd spellings aside, Abigail often expressed her thoughts on political matters with her husband. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. In one of her many letters to her husband, she requested that he “Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. It is believed that they exchanged more than 1,100 letters.Īs John was busy hammering out a new government, Abigail expressed concern about how women would be treated. The couple remained close through continuous and intimate correspondence with each other. Abigail was often left to carry much of the burden at home, raising their children and caring for the family farm. This situation only worsened as he became an active member of the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War. With a busy law practice, John spent a lot of time away from home. Sadly, Susanna died as a toddler and later the family suffered another tragedy when Abigail delivered a stillborn daughter in 1777. Their family continued to grow with the addition of John Quincy in 1767, Susanna in 1768, Charles in 1770 and Thomas Boylston in 1772. Three years later, the couple married and soon welcomed their first child, a daughter named Abigail, in 1765. The two happened to meet at a social gathering in 1761, where John saw the petite, shy 17-year-old through different eyes and was immediately smitten. Adams did not, however, attend school, which was common for girls at the time.Ībigail Smith and John Adams were third cousins and had known each other since they were children. The daughter of a minister, she was a devoted reader, studying the works of William Shakespeare and John Milton among others. Early LifeĪbigail Smith was born on November 11, 1744, (by the Gregorian calendar we use today) in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Adams remained a supportive spouse and confidante after her husband became the president in 1797, and her eldest son, John Quincy, would become president seven years after her death in 1825. Throughout President John Adams’ career, his wife, Abigail Adams, served as an unofficial adviser and their letters show him seeking her counsel on many issues, including his presidential aspirations.
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