I’ve been thinking about how much Abigail Adams changes the way we understand John Adams
I’ve always found that learning about the First Ladies gives me so much more insight into the presidents themselves. I love hearing about the dynamics of their marriages and the influence their wives may have had during their time in public life.
Abigail Adams is one of my favorite examples of this. The more I learned about her, the more interested I became in her relationship with John Adams and how their letters give us this incredible window into both their marriage and what was happening during the founding of the country.
We recently produced an immersive audio drama episode centered on Abigail for a series called Defiant Ones: The American Revolution’s Bravest Women. Instead of approaching it like a traditional history podcast, we wanted listeners to feel like they were actually there, hearing the conversations, letters, fears, and decisions unfold.
The Abigail episode explores her relationship with John, her famous “Remember the Ladies” letter, and what was happening at home while John was helping shape a new nation.
I thought this group might appreciate it because we spend so much time studying presidents themselves, but sometimes learning about the person beside them adds an entirely different dimension to their story.
If anyone listens, I’d genuinely love to hear what you think and if learning more about Abigail changes how you view John. Happy to share the episode link in the comments if anyone is interested!