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| A Founding Mother, a riveting historical fiction tale of Abbigail Adams. |
In, A Founding Mother, a book of almost 500 pages, we learn relatively early Abigail Adam's passion for both her country and for tea. Her spirited character is captured by the authors in her opinion of the Boston Tea Party.
"Well, I think it's sublime", declared Abigail Adams. The famous tea-overboard-Patriot-protest appealed to her "principled defiance". As she explained, "no one had been harmed, and I could feel no pity for those tea leaves floating in the harbor - though, I daresay, I was thirsty enough for tea that I was tempted to taste it."
Even steeped in harbor water, our country's second First Lady felt it had to be better than coffee.
Abigail Adams, wife of one president, mother of another, from the farm to France:
A Founding Mother, co-authored by Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray, a History Professor and Attorney, respectively, is a riveting historical fiction tale of Abigail Adams, the wife of one president and mother of another. She birthed six children (of which four reached adulthood), ran a farm for several years while her husband served abroad and eventually joined John Adams in Europe when he was appointed Ambassador of France.
Incredible and admirable as all of this was, we know from history, neither Abigail nor John were done yet.
Saucy Second First Lady:
While we are celebrating the great achievements of our Founding Fathers on this 250th anniversary of our country, it's also the perfect time to honor those patriot women who, though, had not the right to vote, were substantial contributors to the launching of America. A Founding Mother, just out May of this year, puts our second First Lady (though that term was coined several years after Abigail Adams held the role) front and center stage. Along with her lawyer/politician husband, Abigail Adams had a front row seat to the American Revolution, events that lead to it and those that followed, with the continuing challenge of keeping a new country united.
Often described by her husband as "saucy", Abigail Adams was not only smart and opinionated, but resourceful and ambitious as well. At home, she'd plant, harvest, can and bake with as much mastery as entertaining French nobility and future presidents. Abigail had a bittersweet relationship with Thomas Jefferson, first as friend and then as defender of what she felt were his slights to John Adams. Without approval or knowledge of her husband, she engaged in a fiery correspondence with our nation's third president. Saucy, indeed!
A Founding Mother, is a fast-paced page-turner steeped in history. It's also a great refresher on some of the most tide-turning events in our country's early existence and the sacrifices of both our Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers.
Boston Tea Party, a Patriot Lady's idea?
In A Fouding Mother, Abigail Adams shares that there was talk among the women in town that the protest had actually been the idea of Patriot lady, Sarah Bradlee Fulton. She had helped make the disguises and advised the men on how to conduct themselves. The rebels "took care to ensure that this act of political protest cannot be dismissed as anything else. Not a ship was damaged; no cargo destroyed. They even swept the decks clean of spilled tea leaves".
Abigail Adams reaction: "only a woman would have suggested that".
A resounding two gloved thumb's up to A Founding Mother.
Suggested tea pairing: Elmwood Inn's Abigail's Blend created by Bruce Richardson, who also serves as the Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. He was commissioned to design this tea for the Museum's tearoom, aptly named, "Abigail's Tearoom".
This blend was inspired by the Chinese teas tossed overboard. If you are a fan of English Breakfast blends, you'll will enjoy Abbigail's Blend.
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