Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

and her family life gave her a good

understanding of politics. She strongly

favored American independence and

universal liberty. She was also determined

to overcome the limits that were

placed on women at the time.

Abigail Smith was born on November

22, 1744, inWeymouth, Massachusetts.

As a girl she studied the books in her

father’s large library.Women could not

go to college then, but Abigail received a

good education at home.

In 1759 Abigail met the young lawyer

John Adams. They shared interests in

reading, writing, and politics. They married

in 1764 and settled on a farm in

Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts.

They had five children. Abigail, John

Quincy, Charles, and Thomas survived

to adulthood.

John Adams’ law practice and political

duties kept him away from home much

of the time. Abigail Adams stayed in

touch with her husband and other

family members by letter. Her letters

are full of her opinions on the

important issues of the day. This was

during the time when the American

colonies began to fight for

independence from Great Britain. She

wrote in favor of American

independence. Like her husband, she

also believed that slavery had no place

in a country dedicated to freedom.

In 1789 John Adams became the first vice

president of the United States. Eight years

later he became the second president.

Even during those terms Abigail was

often inMassachusetts running the

family farm. In 1800, however, she

moved with the president into the White

House, which was unfinished at the time.

After Adams’ term as president he and

Abigail returned to Quincy and settled

comfortably into retirement. Abigail

died on October 28, 1818.

#More to explore

Adams, John • Adams, John Quincy

• American Revolution • White House

Adams, Ansel

U.S. photographer Ansel Adams is

famous for his striking images of

Western landscapes. He was among the

first people to promote photography as

an art form. Adams also was known for

his love of nature.

Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco,

California, on February 20, 1902. He

was originally a student of music. Photography

was only a hobby for him until

Abigail

Adams

supported

womens’

rights. She told

her husband

John Adams to

“remember the

ladies” during

the fight

for U.S.

independence.

Abigail Adams

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Adams, Ansel 21

 

1927. That year he published his first

collection of photographs.

In 1940 Adams helped found the

world’s first museum collection of photographs

at the Museum of Modern Art

in New York City. In 1946 he established

the first academic department to

teach photography as a profession. He

did that at the California School of Fine

Arts in San Francisco.

Adams was a nature lover throughout

his life. He published many collections

of photographs that he took in the wilderness

areas of the United States. They

include My Camera in the National Parks

and Photographs of the Southwest.

In 1980 Adams was awarded the Presidential

Medal of Freedom, the highest

nonmilitary honor in the United States.

He died on April 22, 1984, in Carmel,

California.

Adams, John

As a lawyer in the American colonies,

John Adams fought for independence

from Great Britain. He went on to

become the first vice president and the

second president of the new United

States.

Early Life

John Adams was born in Braintree (now

Quincy), Massachusetts, on October 30,

1735. His father was a farmer and a

community leader. After graduating

from Harvard College in 1755, Adams

became a lawyer. In 1764 Adams married

Abigail Smith. They had five children.

One daughter died in infancy.

Revolutionary Era

Adams became a leader in the fight

against British laws in the colonies. Still,

Ansel Adams prepares to take a

photograph along the coast of

California.

John Adams was the second president of

the United States.

22 Adams, John BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

as a lawyer, Adams defended British

soldiers who had killed five colonists in

the Boston Massacre of 1770. This made

him unpopular for a time among the

other colonists. But Adams believed that

everyone’s legal rights should be protected.

In 1774 Massachusetts’ colonists elected

Adams to the Continental Congress.

There he asked GeorgeWashington to

serve as commander of the Continental

Army, the military force of the colonies

during the American Revolution. He

also chose Thomas Jefferson to write the

Declaration of Independence.

In 1779 Adams served at the Massachusetts

Constitutional Convention. He

wrote the document that became the

state’s constitution of 1780. Adams then

joined Benjamin Franklin in Paris,

France. There he helped to produce the

Treaty of Paris, which ended the American

Revolution.

Vice Presidency

In 1789 Adams finished second to

GeorgeWashington in the presidential

election. Under the system of the time,

Adams became vice president. Voters

reelected the two men in 1792.

Political parties began to form during

Washington’s presidency. Adams and

Alexander Hamilton led the Federalists,

who supported a strong central government.

They opposed the Democratic-

Republicans, led by Jefferson, who

wanted the states to have more power.

Presidency

Adams won a narrow victory over Jefferson