Abigail Adams LEVELED BOOK • K

Abigail Adams
A Reading A–Z Level K Leveled Book
Word Count: 387

Connections
Writing and Art
Write a letter to a friend discussing the
future of the United States and ideas
for making it a better place.
Social Studies
Make a timeline of Abigail Adams’s life.
Include three dates and at least five
important events. Share your timeline
with a partner.

K •N
H •

Written by Kira Freed

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 Words to Know
Abigail Adams causes
colonies
First Lady
Great Britain
equal rights independent
Photo Credits:
Page 4: © Everett Collection Historical/Alamy Stock Photo; page 6 (both):
Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society; page 8: © Glasshouse
Images/Alamy Stock Photo; page 9: © ClassicStock/Alamy Stock Photo; page 12:
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Harvard University Portrait Collection,
Bequest of Ward Nicholas Boylston to Harvard College, 1828, H74. © President
and Fellows of Harvard College; page 13: courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints
& Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-ppmsca-09502]; page 14: © Art Reserve/Alamy
Stock Photo; page 15: © Jixue Yang/Dreamstime.com

Illustration Credits:
Front cover, title page, pages 3, 5, 7, 10, 11: Ruth Palmer/© Learning A–Z

Written by Kira Freed

www.readinga-z.com

Focus Question Abigail Adams

Level K Leveled Book Correlation
© Learning A–Z LEVEL K
Who was Abigail Adams, and Written by Kira Freed
Fountas & Pinnell J
why was she important? All rights reserved. Reading Recovery
DRA
17
18
www.readinga-z.com
 Table of Contents This portrait of Abigail Adams was made in 1795.

Who Was Abigail Adams . . . . . . . 4 Who Was Abigail Adams?

Early Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Abigail Adams lived from 1744 to

1818 . At that time, women mostly
War with Great Britain . . . . . . . . . . 8
thought about their husbands,
After the War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 children, and home . Abigail Adams
was different . She helped shape the
Later Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
United States’ first years as a new
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 country .
Abigail Adams • Level K 3 4
 Early Years
Abigail was born on November 11,
1744, in Massachusetts, one of the
thirteen colonies . At the time, the
colonies belonged The Thirteen Colonies

to Great Britain . New

Hampshire
These paintings of Abigail and John Adams
were made around the time of their
Massachusetts marriage.
Most girls were not New
York
Rhode
Island
Connecticut Abigail married John Adams in
allowed to go to Pennsylvania New Jersey
Delaware 1764 . John worked as a lawyer . He
school . Abigail’s Native
American
Territory Virginia
Maryland
was often away from home because
mother taught her North
Carolina of his work .
to read and write . South
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Carolina
Abigail was smart Georgia Abigail took care of the farm and
and loved to read . their money .
Abigail Adams • Level K 5 6
 This stamp showed that a tax had been paid to Great Britain.

War with Great Britain

Soon after Abigail and John were
married, Great Britain began to
treat the colonies unfairly . People
The Adams Family had to pay many high taxes . Abigail,
Abigail and John’s children helped with chores on the family
farm. Their oldest son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth John, and many others wanted the
president of the United States.
colonies to become independent .
Abigail Adams • Level K 7 8
This painting shows John Adams meeting with other men to discuss
the colonies’ independence. Abigail thought John’s work was
John left the farm to help the important . She and John wrote
colonies break away from Great many letters while he was away .
Britain . Abigail cared for their Abigail shared her ideas about
children and ran their farm . A helping the colonies become
woman running a business was independent . John listened to
not common at the time . her ideas .
Abigail Adams • Level K 9 10
 This painting of John Adams was made in 1783.

After the War

The colonies went to war with Great
Britain to become independent in The war ended in 1781, and the
1775 . John kept working to help the colonies became a new country—the
colonies become free . Abigail made United States of America . George
meals and cared for soldiers who Washington became the first U .S .
were hurt . She wrote to John about president in 1789 . John became the
what was happening . first vice president .
Abigail Adams • Level K 11 12
 John became president in 1797 . As
First Lady, Abigail spoke out against
slavery and in favor of equal rights
for women .

Some people did not like it when

Abigail spoke out . They sometimes
called her Mrs . President . Abigail
never stopped talking about what
she believed .

This painting of Abigail Adams was made in her later years.

Later Years
Abigail and John moved back to
their farm when his four years as
president were over .
Do You Know?
John and Abigail were the first president and First Lady to live Many years later, in 1818, Abigail
in the White House. It was called the President’s House at the time.
died .
Abigail Adams • Level K 13 14
 Glossary
causes (n.) beliefs, ideas, or goals
supported by a group
of people (p . 15)

colonies (n.) areas or countries that

are ruled by or belong to
another country (p . 5)

equal rights freedoms and powers

(n.) that are as good as those
of other groups of people
(p . 13)

First Lady (n.) the wife of a president

This statue of Abigail Adams is in Boston, Massachusetts.
or other leader (p . 13)
Abigail Adams was a smart woman
Great Britain an island on which the
who made a difference in many
(n) countries of England,
ways . Her ideas were important to
Scotland, and Wales
the birth of the United States . She
are located (p . 5)
showed the world that women can
speak up and work for important independent not controlled or ruled
causes . (adj.) by others (p . 8)

Abigail Adams • Level K 15 16