America 250: A mother's poignant letter to her son who would later become president
Abigail Adams' letter to her son, John Quincy Adams (Scribe AI/MyHeritage)
Nearly five decades before her son would serve as the sixth president of the United States – and a decade before she would become first lady – Abigail Adams penned a poignant letter to her 11-year-old son John Quincy Adams.
Now, 250 years later, it’s been decoded using Scribe AI, a feature by MyHeritage that can transcribe historical handwritten documents, extract key information and provide historical context and interpretation, allowing "original documents to be understood in modern terms while preserving their meaning and structure."
What does the letter say?
The backstory:
The letter was written June 10, 1778, during the American Revolution, shortly after John Quincy Adams left for Europe with his father, John Adams, who had been sent abroad as a diplomat. Abigail Adams would become first lady of the United States 11 years later when John Adams became the nation’s second president. Her son would become the nation’s sixth president in 1825.
What they're saying:
"Tis almost four Months since you left your native land, and embarked upon the Mighty waters in quest of a foreign Country," she wrote.
"You may be assured you have constantly been upon my Heart & mind. It is a very difficult task my dear Son for a tender parent to bring their mind to part with a child of your years into a distant Land.
"You are in possession of a natural good understanding and of spirits unbroken by adversity, and untamed with care, improve your understanding for acquiring usefull knowledge and virtue, such as will render you an ornament to Society an Honor to your Country, and a Blessing to your parents," she continued.
"Great Learning and Superior abilities, should you ever possess them will be of little value & small Estimation, unless Virtue Honor Truth and integrity are added to them, adhere to those religious sentiments & principals which were early instilled into your mind and remember that you are accountable to your Maker for all your words and actions;
Abigail Adams' letter to her son, John Quincy Adams (Scribe AI/MyHeritage)
"Dear as you are to me, I had much rather you should have found your Grave in the ocean you have crossed, or any untimely death crop you in your Infant years, rather than see you an immoral profligate or a Graceless child," the letter reads.
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What does it mean?
Dig deeper:
According to the historical context provided by Scribe AI, the letter is a "testament to the Puritan values and moral education of the era."
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"It underscores the paramount importance placed on virtue, honor, and religious piety, which Abigail considered superior to mere intellectual pursuits. This document also illustrates the central role of the mother in the moral guidance of the family, even through transatlantic correspondence."
John Quincy Adams served as president from March 4, 1825, to March 4, 1829. He lost his reelection bid to Andrew Jackson.
The Source: This report includes information from Abigail Adams’ letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, in 1778, as transcribed by ScribeAI by MyHeritage.