My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams
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In 1762, John Adams penned a flirtatious note to "Miss Adorable," the 17-year-old Abigail Smith. In 1801, Abigail wrote to wish her husband John a safe journey as he headed home to Quincy after serving as president of the nation he helped create. The letters that span these nearly forty years form the most significant correspondence--and reveal one of the most intriguing and inspiring partnerships--in American history.
As a pivotal player in the American Revolution and the early republic, John had a front-row seat at critical moments in the creation of the United States, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to negotiating peace with Great Britain to serving as the first vice president and second president under the U.S. Constitution. Separated more often than they were together during this founding era, John and Abigail shared their lives through letters that each addressed to "My Dearest Friend," debating ideas and commenting on current events while attending to the concerns of raising their children (including a future president).
Full of keen observations and articulate commentary on world events, these letters are also remarkably intimate. This new collection--including some letters never before published--invites readers to experience the founding of a nation and the partnership of two strong individuals, in their own words. This is history at its most authentic and most engaging.
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I read the collection of letters between John and Abigail Adams in conjunction with my book club's discussion of David McCullough's “John Adams.” I highly recommend this approach because the reader only gets snippets (well-selected and enlightening, but snippets all the same) of the correspondence between two brilliant founders of the United States.
When I was in school, not much was made of Abigail Adams and her support of the second President; theirs was a true partnership. The letters also provide glimpses of home front life during the Revolutionary War. From our modern perspective, in which communication is instantaneous, and often thoughtless, reading beautifully-written letters that may take months to reach the recipient is a marvel. Would we all not benefit from handwriting more than an annual Christmas letter (I don't even do that) both to document our thoughts and to slow down and express thoughts to our friends and family?
The editors provide enough context to the collection so that readers unfamiliar with John and Abigail or that period of history have enough information to understand outside events without getting in the way of these two wonderful people.
