John Adams, a Harvard graduate and well-educated politician, married Abigail Smith in October of 1764. She was the daughter of a wealthy minister. Despite the lack of formal education because of illness, Abigail learned to read, write, and converse on level of great dignity. Ten years into their marriage, Mr. Adams was elected into Congress to represent Massachusetts. He was to attend a conference in Philadelphia in August and was going to have to leave Abigail at home with their seven-year-old son, Johnny. During the time that he was away, more than “three hundred letters passed between the couple” (Norton 675). The letters provide excellent insight about their loving marriage and about the becoming nation.When John left Abigail on August 10, 1774, he was en route to Philadelphia to the Continental Congress. The first letter written by Abigail was dated August 19, 1774. She expressed her love for him by saying that is seemed as if he had been away for a month or more, when in fact it had only been nine days. This shows us that the bond between the two was immense. Abigail felt deeply for John and with him being gone, sickness and sorrow were soon to set in. In many of Abigail’s letters, she mentions different friends and family members. She wanted to let John know that he was in everyone’s hearts and prayers. Many times they discussed matters of the two gentlemen that lived in one of their houses. From Abigail’s letters, the impression of danger in their colony was intriguing. Although they never mentioned why the place was unsafe, the topic arose several times. We learn more, however, from the letters of John to Abigail. The first interesting fact was that on their first meeting, the issue of prayer arose. Prayer has always been criticized by many who believe God and State are two separate entities. It is apparent that although prominent now, it started at the beginning of our countr...
