Abigail Adams, known in letters for expressing concerns and accomplishments of a patriotic woman, requested Congress to “Remember the ladies” in the creation of the Constitution of the United States.
Join us on the lawn of the Theodore F. King Homestead, 209 Main Street, Ledgewood, where Abigail Adams will address us from the porch of this historic home. All three historic buildings in the district, the house, the King Store and the Silas Riggs Saltbox House, will be open for tours from 1 p.m. to approximately 2:45 p.m., when attendees will assemble on the front lawn of the house. Please bring your own chair.
In her many letters to her husband and friends Abigail Adams expressed the concerns and accomplishments of an early American patriotic woman. Her most famous request was for Congress to “Remember the ladies” in the creation of the Constitution of the United States. It was her clear understanding that women’s influences in the domestic sphere were as integral to the development of a new nation as the more public efforts of the founding fathers. Family economics, children’s education and civic responsibility, are the primary concerns of Abigail Adams. Her requests for legislation to benefit future generations included the necessity of education for all children regardless of sex or color, as well as the right to self-determination for all individuals including the emancipation of slaves and granting wives equal status under the law. An understanding of her hopes for posterity beg the question: If the founding fathers would have heeded Mrs. Adams advice sooner, would the nation would have been spared years of strife from civil war to civil rights? A conversation with “Dear Abigail”, 18th century wife and mother provides insight into the concerns of today’s Americans.
About the Historical Impersonator: Kim Hanley is a fine actor, singer, costumer and dancer. She trained and danced from an early age with the School of American Ballet and the Eglevsky Ballet in New York, as well as with the visiting Bolshoi Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. She credits her dance background and in-depth high school acting courses, including daily vocal labs and onstage work, for her ability to rise to any occasion when performing. In addition to her dance background, Ms. Hanley is an accomplished costumer whose specialty is historical fashion. Kim began interpreting Abigail with AHT from 1997 and now has added Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, Molly Pitcher, Alice Roosevelt and Annie Oakley, to her retinue. Ms. Hanley has appeared at the White House Visitors Center, National Archives, National Portrait Gallery, and many others.
BYO Lawnchairs. If it rains, Abigail Adams will address us at the First Presbyterian Church of Succasunna, 99 Main Street. Please register and include your email address in case we need to notify you of a location change!
Abigail Adams’ visit is made possible through the generosity of the Roxbury Historic Trust, the Friends of the Roxbury Public Library, and the Roxbury Township Historical Society.
Register online or call the library at (973) 584-2400.
The Roxbury Township Public Library is a municipal library serving the communities of Succasunna, Ledgewood, Landing, Berkshire Valley, Port Morris, and Kenvil. Residents of the township are eligible to a free library card which enables access to 2.8 million items across the Morris Library Alliance including digital books, museum passes and more.
