President John Adams to Share the Story
of His Wife Abigail
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ABILENE, Kan. - Come hear John Adams reminisce about his wife: the original, dynamic, and totally American woman, Abigail Adams. The program is free and open to the public in the Visitors Center Auditorium of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.
Abigail Adams defied the conventions of her time by insisting that a married woman had the right to hold property independently of her husband. In violation of the common law rule of coverture which said that a woman's property became her husband's upon marriage, Abigail established her own bank accounts and wrote the first will of a married woman to be probated in the State of Massachusetts.
Her careful management of the farm and commercial enterprises made the Adams family among the wealthiest in New England.
Abigail was the first to call for the equality of women in government and higher education. Although raised as a child in a household that owned slaves, she and her husband abhorred slavery and set the example for their son, President John Quincy Adams, to become one of the country's most ardent abolitionists. George Baker, inspired by reading David McCullough's immensely popular John Adams, has been playing the role of John Adams since 2008. Baker, an attorney, is a graduate of Columbia--and Columbia Law School--where his father was a professor during Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as President of that University. Baker has participated in the annual Constitution Day activities at the Eisenhower Presidential Library since 2010.
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The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. # # #
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