Abigail Adams, the American who remained steadfast in the struggle for freedom.

Near the end of the tumultuous year of 1776, Thomas Paine penned the words, "These are the times that test men's souls."

Despite having five children, the woman's soul remained unyielding during the trial of the American independence movement.

Abigail Adams never flinched, never wavered.

No one can doubt her risky move to establish a new country called the United States.

Adams penned to her husband John on Sept. 20, 1776, following the defeat of George Washington's colonial army by the British in Brooklyn and Manhattan, that they were undeterred and possessed a spirit that could not be defeated.

At the age of 31, Adams had five small children and lived in a modest farmhouse with her husband absent for a significant portion of their marriage.

She wrote in her letter that if all men were taken away and they were attacked, there would be a race of Amazons in America.

The former first lady was a talented writer, wife, and confidante of a Founding Father and the first of only two women to be both wife and mother of U.S. presidents. She was later joined in this distinction by Barbara Bush.

"She was a revolutionary in every sense of the word."

The 5-foot-6-inch New England mother was more resilient than the granite in the hills of Massachusetts, as her combative words demonstrated. She is considered one of the greatest patriots in American history.

The toughest times in American history tested Adams' resilience.

Abigail Adams, who lived most of her life in Quincy, Massachusetts, is the woman who has made the greatest contribution and sacrifice to our country, according to Tom Koch, the mayor of Quincy and a historian of Adams' life.

She is resting today in the Church of the Presidents, located near his office at Quincy City Hall.

In every sense of the word, she was a revolutionary.

‘My bursting heart must find vent at my pen’

Abigail Smith was born on Nov. 22, 1774 in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

William Smith, her father, was a Congregational minister, while Elizabeth (Quincy) Smith, her mother, hailed from a distinguished political family in colonial Massachusetts.

Dorothy Quincy, Abigail Adams' first cousin, was born and raised in the community of Quincy that would later bear the family name.

John Adams, a man from Quincy, married the first lady-to-be in 1764.

Dorothy Quincy, a cousin, married John Hancock, another rebel from Quincy, in October 1775, just six months after the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

Adams and Hancock were engaged to a family with a strong warrior heritage and customs.

According to historian Harlow Giles Unger in "John Quincy Adams," the Quincy family's roots can be traced back to Cuincy in northwestern Normandy, France, where a knight named 'de Cuincy' took part in the 1066 invasion of Britain.

At Runnymede, the Magna Carta was signed by a nobleman named Saer de Quincy, who led a rebellion against King John of England.

Abigail and Dorothy were the genetic link between the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence.

Both women bore eyewitnesses to the bloody birth of American independence.

On April 19, 1775, Quincy observed the Battle of Lexington, where 700 British soldiers marched into the small town to seize rebel weapons and capture his beloved Hancock.

"The day, perhaps the decisive day, is come on which the fate of America depends. My bursting heart must find vent at my pen."

John Quincy and his mother, Adams, observed the rebellion escalate two months later while sitting on a hill near their family farmhouse, which also served as his father's law office. They watched the Battle of Bunker Hill unfold across Boston Harbor.

""Perhaps the decisive day for America has arrived, and my heart must express its feelings through writing," she wrote later."

She knew a difficult life lay ahead, yet never wavered.

During her husband's absence serving the new country, she was in charge of rearing five children and managing their farm amidst the war, according to Massachusetts historian Alexander Cain, as reported by Planet Chronicle Digital.

"She was confronted with the Siege of Boston, inflation, food shortages, and a gravely ill daughter, Nabby, right outside her front door."

She remained devoted to American independence in its darkest hours despite enormous risk.

Cain stated that if her husband had been tried for treason, she would have lost everything, including her property.

"She was committed to the cause and understood the need to set an example for her female comrades and fellow patriots. She was resolute. She was undeniably resolute."

One rebellion not enough

The extensive exchange of 1,100 letters between Abigail and John Adams serves as a crucial primary source for studying the American Revolution.

According to the Massachusetts Historical Society, Abigail (Smith) Adams, despite not having a formal education, was an incredibly resourceful partner to John Adams.

"During one of the country's most turbulent times, while he was away on numerous political assignments, she raised their children, managed their farm, and stayed abreast of current events."

"Abigail Adams proved to be an extremely resourceful partner to John Adams."

The site notes that her comments about the Revolution were insightful and included detailed descriptions of the Boston region.

During the Second Continental Congress, Adams demonstrated her resolve, as her husband, Hancock, and Samuel Adams from Quincy led the delegation to Philadelphia to persuade the other colonies to join the rebellion.

The colony of Massachusetts effectively revolted against the British alone at first, and the rebellion was over.

On March 17, 1776, the Redcoats left Boston in disgrace and did not come back.

The war moved elsewhere, to New York and the southern colonies.

But the stakes only grew higher. So did the fear.

But one rebellion wasn’t enough for Abigail.

The opportunity to create a more equitable society for mankind was unprecedented, as the Founding Fathers recognized.

The same unprecedented opportunity to create a more equitable society for women was recognized by Adams.

In the days before the Declaration of Independence, Adams wrote to her husband, requesting that he remember the Ladies.

The two sentences that follow "remember the ladies" depict her fiery spirit and unwavering defiance.

"If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."

"The Ladies … are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice."

According to Cain, the demand represented a conviction to independence displayed by American women that is not often chronicled in history books.

"Women played a crucial part in the escalation of the war," he stated. "They were the ones boycotting British products and organizing spinning bees to produce their own textiles instead of purchasing British ones. They were the ones who had to safeguard the home front and look after the children."

Cain stated that Adams' cry to "remember the ladies" was a demand to acknowledge the significant contribution of women in American independence.

‘Brightened the prospects of the race of man on Earth’

Abigail Adams passed away on October 28, 1818, at the age of 73.

John Adams lived six more years.

On July 4, 1826, both Thomas Jefferson and he passed away, marking the 50th anniversary of American Independence, a time they both played significant roles in shaping.

At the time of Abigail Adams' death, John Quincy, the couple's oldest son, was serving as secretary of state under President James Monroe.

Despite being by her side during the Battle of Bunker Hill, her son never got to see him become the President of the United States in 1825.

She did not get to see her son ascend to the White House.

The Adams family, including John and Abigail, John Quincy and his wife Louisa Catherine, rests in granite tombs in the family crypt at the United First Parish Church in Quincy.

The Church of the Presidents, founded in 1639, was once served by the Rev. John Hancock, the father of the patriot. He is buried in a nearly 400-year-old cemetery across the street, along with 69 veterans of the American Revolution.

After the war, John and Abigail Adams relocated to an estate in Quincy and named it Peacefield, symbolizing their aspirations for tranquility following years of conflict.

The birthplaces of two presidents and the Adams National Historical Park are now centered on the same location.

The Abigail Adams Cairn, a fieldstone monument with the inscription of her words, commemorates the site where mother and son watched the Battle of Bunker Hill on "that decisive day."

Numerous dramatic accounts and biographies have commemorated Abigail Adams. The white Yorkist roses she imported from England following the 1788 war and planted at Peacefield continue to blossom every spring.

John and Abigail Adams passed their gift for words to John Quincy Adams, who was fluent in nine languages.

A white marble tablet above the altar of the Church of the Presidents bears a tribute to his parents, written by him.

Through times that test the strength of men and women, his parents' gift to the world remains a source of beauty and inspiration.

"Over the course of more than half a century, they remained united in sentiment, principle, and affection, weathering the storms of civil unrest. Despite facing the challenges of revolution, they stood firm and emerged victorious, securing the freedom of their nation and improving the conditions of their time. As a result, their actions paved the way for a brighter future for all of humanity."

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