Abigail Adams

An item at American Writers Museum

Over the course of her life, Abigail Adams exchanged more than 1,100 letters with her husband, John Adams, the second president of the United States. These correspondences provide an invaluable firsthand account of the turbulent years surrounding the founding of a new nation.

The letters also provide insight into a remarkable marriage. Adams's letters speak with candor and loving intimacy about her relationship with her husband. Her keen eye for politics and social change kept him informed while he was abroad on government business. She also argued passionately and persuasively on behalf of women's rights and against slavery.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum