93. When John Adams Met Abigail Smith

Significant Lovers

Today, over 1,160 letters still exist between President John Adams and his wife Abigail Adams. And do you know why there were so many letters between them?

Because during their marriage, they were long distance for ELEVEN YEARS!!

Before Adams became George Washington’s VP and eventually the second president of the United States, he was part of the original congress in Philadelphia and served as a diplomat in Europe. Because of this, he and Abigail sometimes only heard from each other once every few months!

It’s clear from their letters that John and Abigail loved each other immensely. But Kel still has one question she hasn’t been able to solve: if John and Abigail adored each other so much, why didn’t they ever write the words ‘I love you’?

Sources used:

The Letters of John and Abigail Adams, introduction by Frank Suffleton

John Adams by David McCollough

Totalus Rankium: American Presidents podcast

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Significant Lovers is a true-love podcast about historic relationships and celebrity romances. You can contact us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @significantlovers.

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