The Top 10 Greatest American Women: Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Annie Oakley, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, and Hillary Clin

By Herman Melville

*Includes pictures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles River Editors
• Release date: Mar 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781629217666

Herman Melville

Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. Following a period of financial trouble, the Melville family moved from New York City to Albany, where Allan, Herman’s father, entered the fur business. When Allan died in 1832, the family struggled to make ends meet, and Herman and his brothers were forced to leave school in order to work. A small inheritance enabled Herman to enroll in school from 1835 to 1837, during which time he studied Latin and Shakespeare. The Panic of 1837 initiated another period of financial struggle for the Melvilles, who were forced to leave Albany. After publishing several essays in 1838, Melville went to sea on a merchant ship in 1839 before enlisting on a whaling voyage in 1840. In July 1842, Melville and a friend jumped ship at the Marquesas Islands, an experience the author would fictionalize in his first novel, Typee (1845). He returned home in 1844 to embark on a career as a writer, finding success as a novelist with the semi-autobiographical novels Typee and Omoo (1847), befriending and earning the admiration of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Oliver Wendell Holmes, and publishing his masterpiece Moby-Dick in 1851. Despite his early success as a novelist and writer of such short stories as “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and “Benito Cereno,” Melville struggled from the 1850s onward, turning to public lecturing and eventually settling into a career as a customs inspector in New York City. Towards the end of his life, Melville’s reputation as a writer had faded immensely, and most of his work remained out of print until critical reappraisal in the early twentieth century recognized him as one of America’s finest writers.

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The Top 10 Greatest American Women: Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Annie Oakley, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, and Hillary Clinton

By Charles River Editors

About Charles River Editors

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Introduction

Abigail Adams (1744-1818)

Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. – Abigail Adams

American presidents have shaped the course of global affairs for generations, but as the saying goes, behind every great man there’s a great woman. While the First Ladies often remain overshadowed by their husbands, some have carved unique niches in their time and left their own lasting legacy. Dolley Madison helped establish the role of the First Lady in the early 1800s, Eleanor Roosevelt gave voice to policy issues in a way that made her a forerunner of First Ladies like Hillary Clinton, and Jackie Kennedy created glamorous trends that made her more popular than her husband.

Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton may have been the most politically active First Ladies in American history, but Abigail Adams was the first to act as political advisor for her husband and the first to be dubbed Mrs. President. Indeed, Abigail was politically inclined to degree highly unusual among women of the 18th and 19th century, and she had originally impressed her future husband John because she was so well versed in poetry, philosophy and politics. Abigail was also very progressive, championing women’s rights and abolition long before they became widely held views even in traditionally liberal Massachusetts.

While her time as First Lady was important, Abigail Adams remains one of the most recognized and respected First Ladies in American history due to her voluminous correspondence with John when they were separated throughout the American Revolution, as she remained in Massachusetts while John found himself in the thick of politics during his time in the Continental Congress and over in France. In addition to providing a comprehensive account of the inner workings of both politics and the home front during that important chapter in history, the letters also demonstrated the strong intellectual and emotional bond the two of them shared, allowing historians a glimpse of just how influential Abigail was on her husband’s ideology and decision making. As the acclaimed historian Joseph Ellis noted, the nearly 1200 letters between the couple constituted a treasure trove of unexpected intimacy and candor, more revealing than any other correspondence between a prominent American husband and wife in American history.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women looks at the life and career of one of The Top 10 Greatest American Women, but it also humanizes the woman who helped balance and guide her mercurial husband throughout his lengthy political career. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Abigail like you never have before, in no time at all.

Dolley Madison (1768-1849)

It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people’s business. – Dolley Madison

After the Constitution was ratified, George Washington went about setting all the precedents for the role of the presidency, establishing traditions like the Cabinet. But the role of being the First Lady of the United States was defined by the wife of the 4th president. James Madison may have been the Father of the Constitution, but his wife Dolley all but defined the responsibilities and customs of being the president’s wife. Dolley had served as an informal First Lady for the widowed Thomas Jefferson, but when her husband entered the White House in 1809, Dolley went about furnishing the White House to such an extent that much of the style and items she chose were still in place when Mary Todd Lincoln became the First Lady in 1861. Dolley also became a folk hero of sorts and the center of a colorful legend that had her saving Gilbert Stuart’s priceless painting of George Washington just ahead of the British while her husband was denigrated for fleeing as Washington D.C. was burned.

In addition to being instrumental in decorating the White House, Dolley Madison also set the standard for the First Lady’s traditional hosting and ceremonial duties. 150 years later, Jackie Kennedy was largely credited for helping boost her husband’s popularity during their time in the White House, but the same could easily be said about Dolley, who was renowned for her social graces and her hospitality. Having helped boost her husband’s popularity during his presidency, Dolley went about maintaining his legacy after 1836, collecting and organizing the papers and notes of the Constitution’s most influential drafter, and eventually selling them to the government in full.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women looks at the life and legends of one of America’s most influential First Ladies. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Dolley Madison like you never have before.

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

The true woman will not be exponent of another, or allow another to be such for her. She will be her own individual self… Stand or fall by her own individual wisdom and strength… She will proclaim the ‘glad tidings of good news’ to all women, that woman equally with man was made for her own individual happiness, to develop… every talent given to her by God, in the great work of life. – Susan B. Anthony

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

During the last 100 years, Susan B. Anthony has been one ofthe most venerated women in American history, but in the 80 years before that, she was one of the most hated women in American history. Anthony took note of her contemporaries’ distaste for her but remained defiant, asserting, I have encountered riotous mobs and have been hung in effigy, but my motto is: Men’s rights are nothing more. Women’s rights are nothing less.

Today, of course, every American is taught about their nation’s most famous suffragist, who tirelessly advocated and lobbied for women to be granted the right to vote. Though it wouldn’t become legal until 14 years after Anthony’s death, Anthony took it upon herself to illegally vote in 1872, which initiated one of the late 19th century’s most famous political court cases. Anthony was able to publicize women’s plight and her cause even as she was subjected to a kangaroo court in which the judge ordered the jury to find her guilty, but she managed to embarrass authorities so much that they released her from jail instead of allowing her to appeal the conviction and continue to bring attention to her case.  

Though Anthony is best remembered today for working towards women’s suffrage with other women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she was an active and progressive advocate for all of the leading human rights issues of her time. Anthony was an ardent abolitionist from day one, and she spent much of the first 40 years of her life championing the cause of African-Americans, even befriending men like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison along the way. She also championed radical ideas as 8 hour work days, minimum wage laws, and equal pay for women.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women chronicles the life of America’s greatest human rights champion, examining her writings and her work across the political spectrum. Along with pictures, you will learn about Susan B. Anthony like you never have before, in no time at all.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)

The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls. – Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton is something of an unsung hero in the history of the feminist movement. Though she is still primarily known as an advocate of women’s suffrage and is closely linked to the better known Susan B. Anthony, Stanton was shunned by many of her fellow suffragists because her ideas seem too radical and because many were disturbed by her barely Deist view of religion.  Over a century after her death, modern feminists tend to overlook Stanton in favor of Anthony, while remembering that Stanton enjoyed taking on the traditional 19th century gender roles of being the mother of a large family and remaining devoted to her husband throughout her life. And while Anthony’s comments about abortion are still fiercely debated by pro-life and pro-choice crowds, Stanton held conservative views toward abortion. It’s clear that Elizabeth Cady Stanton was very much her own woman, certainly a fitting description that she would not have wanted any other way.

Though she is not as well known or fondly remembered as her closest counterpart, Stanton preceded Anthony as an advocate of women’s rights. It was Stanton who issued the Declaration of Sentiments at the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848, touching off the organized movement that worked toward suffrage and equality. At the same time, Stanton was an ardent abolitionist, and she focused on progressive issues like custody rights, divorce, women’s property rights, employment issues, and even birth control.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women chronicles the amazing life and work of one of America’s best known suffragists, examining her ideology and the controversies she generated. Along with pictures, you will learn about Elizabeth Cady Stanton like you never have before.

Annie Oakley (1860-1926)

Aim at the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success. – Annie Oakley

The Wild West made legends out of many men who came to be identified with the unforgiving nature and spirit of the frontier. Men like Wyatt Earp have long been celebrated for their toughness, swagger, and fearless courage. So it’s no surprise that the few women who could match the men in toughness and gunplay have also become legends of the West.

There was little about the childhood of Phoebe Ann Mosey that indicated that she would grow up to become Annie Oakley, one of the best sharpshooters the world has ever seen and an icon of the West. Her parents, Jacob and Susan, were Quakers who migrated from Pennsylvania to Darke County, Ohio after a fire destroyed their inn and their livelihood. Their daughter, who would become a national celebrity in her own life for The Little Sure Shot of the West, learned her gun skills out of necessity, using them to hunt for food around the Cincinnati area thousands of miles away from the dusty towns, saloons and shootouts that have become symbols the Wild West.

However, Annie would make her own mark by hitting so many marks back east, and by 18 she had made a name for herself by besting other sharpshooters, including Frank Butler, who performed a traveling act and became smitten by the young teen who beat him. Annie and Frank would marry when she was 16, and they continued to perform together until becoming part of Buffalo Bill’s famous show, where Annie became acquainted with other legends like Sitting Bull.

Annie would perform off and on for Buffalo Bill’s show, but she also took her exploits to Europe and even the burgeoning film industry, performing The Little Sure Shot of the West for Thomas Edison’s brand new kinetoscope, which could make a film. She also met dignitaries like Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. Annie only became more famous with age, continuing with her skillful performances into her 60s despite a debilitating injury suffered in a car crash, before declining health led to her death at the age of 66 in 1926.

By the time she had died, Annie had become so well known for her marksmanship that other important aspects of her life were largely overlooked, including her philanthropy and her training and encouragement of women. The Top 10 Greatest American Women chronicles all the aspects of the famous female sharpshooter’s life. Along with videos and pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Annie like never before.

Helen Keller (1880-1968)

Most people measure their happiness in terms of physical pleasure and material possession. Could they win some visible goal which they have set on the horizon, how happy they could be! Lacking this gift or that circumstance, they would be miserable. If happiness is to be so measured, I who cannot hear or see have every reason to sit in a corner with folded hands and weep. If I am happy in spite of my deprivations, if my happiness is so deep that it is a faith, so thoughtful that it becomes a philosophy of life, — if, in short, I am an optimist, my testimony to the creed of optimism is worth hearing.. – Helen Keller

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

To say Helen Keller is one of the most unique figures in American history would be an understatement. As a young child, Helen lost both her vision and hearing, leaving her deafblind, an almost hopelessly debilitating condition that left her literally trapped, unable to communicate with anyone. As she would later write, My life was without past or future; death, the pessimist would say, ‘a consummation devoutly to be wished.’ Nobody would have blamed her for being hopelessly frustrated and imprisoned by her disabilities; in fact, that was to be expected. When her famous teacher, Anne Sullivan, brought Helen a doll and tried to teach her a few words by spelling them into her hand, the child became so frustrated that she broke the doll.

As every American now knows, Helen eventually overcame the frustration and used unimaginable perseverance to overcome her disability. With Sullivan’s help and the sense of touch, Helen eventually broke through and learned to communicate. Helen later recalled that after Sullivan put one of her hands in water and spelled water on the other hand, I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten — a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me.

Helen’s story would have been remarkable enough if it had ended simply with her ability to communicate with the outside world, but I had now the key to all language, and I was eager to learn to use it. With unbridled ambition, Helen became the first deafblind individual to earn a bachelor’s degree from a college, published her own autobiography when she was just 22, and in the early 20th century became famous across the world as both an author and speaker.

Naturally, Helen was a walking embodiment and advocate for people with disabilities, both the blind and deaf, but she was just as interested in other social and political causes, eventually becoming one of the most outspoken figures of her time. Those who were inspired by her story were surprised that she was willing to voice what they believed were radical beliefs on behalf of causes like women’s suffrage, pacifism, and socialism. Helen also added actions to her words, founding both the Helen Keller International organization for research in vision, health and nutrition, and helping found the American Civil Liberties Union.

By the middle of the 20th century, Helen was a living legend and one of the most famous people in the world. She traveled to dozens of countries across the globe, met with every president from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon Johnson, and befriended celebrities as diverse as Alexander Graham Bell, Charlie Chaplin and Mark Twain. Even before her death in 1968, early depictions of The Miracle Worker had debuted, and countless other plays and films based on her life and story have followed.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women chronicles the amazing life and work of one of America’s most famous women, explaining how she suffered and overcame her disabilities. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Helen Keller like you never have before, in no time at all.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

If Dolley Madison was instrumental in molding the role of First Lady in the 19th century, credit can be given to Eleanor Roosevelt for revolutionizing the political nature of the role in the 20th and 21st centuries and making it possible for presidents like Bill Clinton to enlist their wives to handle political duties. At the same time, history might remember Eleanor more for what she did outside of the White House, as she became a critically acclaimed and world famous international author and advocate of civil rights, women’s rights. By the time she had finished working for the United Nations, working on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, President Truman rightly called her The First Lady of the World.

Eleanor is one of her country’s most famous and admired First Ladies, an ironic fact considering she was worried being the wife of a successful politician would force her to take on what she considered to be irrelevant ceremonial roles. But Franklin’s offices and illnesses made it possible for her to run in the social and political circles that interested her, and she began wielding substantial influence both for herself and on behalf of her husband. Much like Hillary and Bill Clinton, the Roosevelts’ marriage evolved into one of friendship and political convenience as Eleanor became a political power player herself. By the end of the 1940s, Eleanor’s name was being bandied about for positions like governorships, the U.S. Senate, and even the Vice Presidency, which was still completely unprecedented for a woman in those times.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women chronicles the amazing life and career of one of the nation’s most important First Ladies, but it also humanizes her to paint the fuller picture. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Eleanor Roosevelt like you never have before, in no time at all.

Amelia Earhart (1897- disappeared 1937)

The stars seemed near enough to touch and never before have I seen so many. I always believed the lure of flying is the lure of beauty, but I was sure of it that night. – Amelia Earhart

During the early 20th century, groundbreaking technology revolutionized transportation both on the ground and in the sky, with new motors making automobiles and airplanes a reality in the 1910s. Around that same time, the feminist movement was underway in the United States, spearheaded by women seeking the right to vote, lobbying for the temperance movement, and trying to make their voices heard.

It was at that crossroads that flight pioneer Amelia Earhart found herself in 1919, the very year President Wilson and Congress were trying to shepherd through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. That year, Earhart was given a ride on a plane piloted by legendary air racer Frank Hawks, and as she recalled, By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly.

Earhart’s unbridled joy for flying was only occasionally abated by a lack of finances, and a recurring sinus issue, but throughout the 1920s she was one of the few women licensed to fly, and she set an altitude record of 14,000 feet for women in 1922. In 1928, Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, but she was disappointed that she had to do so as a passenger, complaining, I was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes.

Nevertheless, that trip made Lady Lindy the Queen of the Air in America, and Earhart was now the nation’s best known aviatrix. With her fresh face available for promoting everything from luggage to women’s clothing, Earhart was able to finance her own aviation and remain involved in promoting air travel and flying to skeptical Americans. In May 1932, Earhart finally made her solo flight across the Atlantic, for which she received the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French Government and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Herbert Hoover.

By the mid-1930s, Earhart had set a multitude of altitude and distance records, but she wanted to attempt a circumnavigation of the world. After an ill-fated first attempt, Earhart and Fred Noonan set off on another attempt, creating one of the 20th century’s most enduring mysteries. Earhart and Noonan were to land on Howland Island, 1700 miles southwest of Hawaii, but radio transmissions ceased between the plane and authorities on the ground the morning of July 2, 1937. Earhart and Noonan had disappeared, never to be seen again, despite one of the nation’s largest and costliest manhunts to date.

Unfortunately, the speculation over exactly what happened to Earhart and the mystery of her disappearance have come to overshadow and obscure her many accomplishments. The Top 10 Greatest American Women looks at the theories attempting to explain her disappearance, but it also humanizes the woman whose sheer love of flying propelled her to unprecedented heights among both the clouds and her countrymen. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Lady Lindy like you never have before.

Rosa’s mug shot after being arrested

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. – Rosa Parks

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Rosa Parks is one of the most famous women in American history, and an instantly recognizable name among Americans of all age, thanks to the events of December 1, 1955. That afternoon, on her way home from work, Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in defiance of Montgomery’s segregated bus policies. Within days of her arrest, Montgomery’s civil rights activists had organized a wide-scale boycott of Montgomery’s buses by blacks. To lead the boycott, organizers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association, electing a young, 26 year old pastor president of the new group. His name was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   

In many histories, the narrative of Rosa Parks’ life ends there. While she was celebrated and hailed as a civil rights activist for the next 50 years until her death in 2005, few details of her life aside from her determined act and arrest are remembered. The context of the time and place are also largely overlooked, most notably the fact that she was not the first black woman who was arrested for refusing to give up her seat in 1955. All of that is largely unfair, considering the fact that Rosa Parks suffered further abuse and stigma living in the South during the Civil Rights Movement. And instead of cashing in on her fame, she gave much of the money she made to civil rights groups and organizations.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women profiles the life and legacy of one of America’s most famous women and one of its greatest Civil Rights icons. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Rosa Parks and her story like never before.

Hillary Clinton (1947-)

I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life. – Hillary Clinton

During the presidential campaign in 1992, Democratic challenger Bill Clinton announced that by voting for him, Americans would get two presidents for the price of one. The reference to his wife Hillary signified that she would be no ordinary First Lady, and indeed she was employed frequently by her husband in the White House to try to push legislation through Congress, most notably universal healthcare. While that proved to be one of the Clinton Administration’s greatest failures, Hillary and her staff continued to act as a political surrogate for the president during his two terms.

Of course, describing Hillary Clinton as just a First Lady belittles all of her accomplishments. Today she is the most powerful woman in the world and one of the most recognizable, working so seamlessly with her former rival Barack Obama that her popularity has easily eclipsed his within a year of his victory over her in the Democratic primaries. In addition to the stirring Democratic primaries of 2008, Hillary was a U.S. Senator from New York for nearly 8 years before becoming Obama’s Secretary of State. Recognized as one of the sharpest minds in Washington and a complete policy wonk, Hillary has been one of the few bright spots in Obama’s Cabinet during his first term.

The Top 10 Greatest American Women looks at the life and career of one of America’s most influential First Ladies, but it also humanizes the woman who has overcome personal and political hurdles along the way. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in her life, you will learn about Hillary Clinton like you never have before, in no time at all.

Abigail Adams

Chapter 1: Abigail's Early Years

For nearly 200 years Abigail Adams has been admired as one of the most extraordinary women in American history, but her story began with her proud parents. Her father, William Smith, was a Congregational minister and the pastor of the North Parish Congregational Church of Weymouth, Massachusetts.  While he was descended from the Puritans who founded Massachusetts, William, like most of the descendants of the Puritans, was less inclined to preach on original sin and the divinity of Christ than he was to speak on common reason and social morality.

Abigail’s mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of a prominent Massachusetts family, the Quincys.  She also had a number of ministers in her family, including her maternal grandfather.  The town of Quincy was named after him, and Elizabeth was raised with a pronounced sense of noblesse oblige, an ironic character trait given that her daughter would be a voice for the masses. Abigail’s family lineage was so thoroughly documented and researched that her ancestry could be traced back nearly 600 years and included royal lines in France, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Holland, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland. In one of those coincidences that seems almost too good to be true, she was a distant cousin of none other than King George III.

The Smiths were married in the late 1730s and went on to have four children:  Mary in 1741, Abigail in 1744, William in 1746 and Elizabeth in 1750.  While she lived a long, full life, little Abigail was not a healthy child, and when she was born on November 11, 1744, her parents initially feared that she might not survive the winter.  Even though she did, her parents were still too concerned aobut her health to allow her to attend the local school, and instead they were committed to raising her in the best traditions of liberal Congregationalism.  Her mother taught her to read, write and do basic arithmetic, after which she was then turned loose in her father’s library. Incredibly, the woman who would support equal public schooling opportunities for girls and prove to be John Adams’s intellectual equal was entirely self-educated.

In her parents’ library young Abigail found more books than any other home in Weymouth.  In addition to a copy of the Bible and several commentaries, she also found the complete works of Shakespeare, Alexander Pope and John Milton, as well as the works of many other prominent authors. As she taught herself, Abigail took particular interests in philosophy, theology, ancient history, government and law.  With the help of her other relatives, she also learned to read and speak French fluently.  Ironically, while her literary skills were fabulous, her spelling and grammar left much to be desired.  Fortunately, the colonial world was not particularly picky about consistent grammatical practices.  

In addition to what she learned from reading, Abigail also studied appropriate decorum from her cultured mother, who taught her proper manners for both the church and the ballroom. Furthermore, the time spent with her mother instilled in Abigail a sense of duty to the less fortunate, often accompanying her mother to visit the sick and needy.  On these visits, they might take along anything from groceries to firewood or both, depending on the need.

Abigail was also greatly influenced by her well-known and well-respected maternal grandfather, Colonel John Quincy, who provided the namesake for Quincy, Massachusetts.  In addition to being a colonel with the Massachusetts militia, he was also a Speaker of the House of Representatives for the Massachusetts colony.  His visits were always accompanied by some sort of talk or lecture on the importance of political and social freedom, as well as public service to others.

Chapter 2: Abigail Adams

As Abigail entered her teenage years, she began to take notice of the young men in her life, including her third cousin John Adams, who she had known since childhood. Abigail was attracted to him as early as 1759 when she first noticed how handsome Adams had become, but at age 24, John was nearly 9 years her senior and was already practicing law