George and Martha Washington

I am listening to American Originals Abigail Adams. that I got for free, from Audible.

I have been comparing it, in my mind, to another famous American husband and wife - George and Martha Washington.

The contrast could not be more stark. George married Martha to acquire her large estate, that she inherited from her first marriage - along with a number of  slaves. She had children from her first marriage, but none from her second - which indicates that George was not interested in her sexually.

Martha was not much of a writer, the few letters we have from her, had unusual spelling, that she invented, as she wrote them. For her, writing was mostly bookkeeping, that she used to manage her plantation.

George was an General in the Revolutionary War, the first president of his country, and presided over the Constitutional Convention, that made it powerful.  He was, in short, an important person.

Martha stayed home, in Mount Vernon, and managed it wisely. She was an important person also - but was not recognized as one.

Abigail, by contrast, was a person in her own right - as her many letters show. Letter writers, at that time - wrote much better, than they talked. Informal writing came later, and was not practiced, at the time.

She was self-taught learner - but learned well. And didn't mind showing it. She and her husband, John Adams - were the among the few Founding Fathers (and a Mother) from the North. The rest were from Virginia.

John Adams, sad to say, was a poor father. He was completely absorbed in his diplomatic duties - and did not take his family with him when he was overseas. Abigail was not much help here - instead of insisting that he take his family with him, when her children were young, and needed a father, the most - she only insisted on joining him later, so she could enjoy the cultural amenities of Paris.

She did notice how Thomas Jefferson, who was also in Paris - was a threat to their future. As he would soon prove to be. And she confronted him directly about this. She was fighter, more so than her husband, who did not understand the competitive political situation then.