Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution

Abigail Adams is often referred to as the wife of one president and the mother of another. Rarely is she described as a woman in her own right. Although her primary focus and concerns were in her role as wife and mother, she lives in history because of her extraordinary letters to her family and to her friends.

She was a witness to the gathering storm of the Revolutionary War. She saw the Battle of Bunker Hill from a hilltop near her home, and soldiers marching past her door frequently stopped for a drink of water. Because she was so close to the scene, she was able to give firsthand reports of the American Revolution to her husband and other leaders creating a new government, as she wrote about the times and the people who played vital roles in the birth of our nation.

Mingling the intimate with the momentous, she documented what it was like to live at a time when education was not available to young women, and when pregnancy and childbirth meant the fear of death. Colonial women were called upon to make life-and-death decisions for their children, to educate their daughters, and to run their farms when their husbands were away for months, or sometimes for years, at a time. Yet they had, at best, second-class legal and political status.

Abigail Adams's independent spirit, her sense of humor, and her remarkable intellect, as shown in her letters, open a wide window on a crucial period in our nation's history, and bring Abigail Adams and her time to life.

The wife of one president and the mother of another, Abigail Adams was an extraordinary woman in her own right. She experienced the gathering storm of the Revolutionary War and saw the battle of Bunker Hill from a hilltop near her home. The letters written by Abigail Adams to her friends and family bring the Revolutionary period alive, mingling details of everyday life with the momentous events of her time. Abigail Adams is given her own place in history in this award-winning biography, which captures the personality of its subject and the time in which she lived.

Abigail Adams was an extraordinary woman who witnessed the gathering storm of the American Revolution and saw the battle of Bunker Hill from a hilltop near her home. Through her letters to friends and family, Abigail Adams lives in history--and now in this award-winning biography by Natalie Bober.

Natalie S. Bober believes that great people inspire others to find the greatness within themselves. It is for this reason that she writes biographies for young people. Among her subjects have been William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, Louise Nevelson, Marc Chagall, and Thomas Jefferson.

Mrs. Bober has taught English and been a reading specialist and textbook editor. She lectures widely to young people and adults on the joy and excitement of research, and conducts workshops on the art and craft of biography.

She resides with her husband in Westchester County, New York, and derives great pleasure from her grandchildren, who happily serve as readers and critics of her books.