Abigail Adams: A Life from Beginning to End

Abigail Adams was just as much a founding mother as her husband John Adams was a founding father. Like him, she was there from the very beginning when the first foundations of the United States were laid. While John debated independence in Philadelphia, Abigail penned letters that would become some of the American Revolution's most important historical documents. She famously urged the founding fathers to "remember the ladies" as the new nation took shape and advocated for women's rights and education decades before these became national causes.

Abigail was the steady hand at the helm, right behind her husband John Adams throughout his rise to the presidency. When his presidency came to a close in bitter political defeat, she was the one who helped broker reconciliation between him and his old rival Thomas Jefferson. She then served as an advisor and guiding force for her up-and-coming son and future president John Quincy Adams. In doing so, she laid the groundwork for what has been called America's very first political dynasty. This is the life of Abigail Adams in full.