Culture Spot : On This Day . . . 11 November – Happy Birthday Abigail Adams, 1st Second Lady & 2nd First Lady of the United States

On this day in 1744, Abigail Adams (née Smith) was born in town of Weymouth in the colony of Massachusetts. Of all the First Ladies of the United States, she is the one I most admire. She is most remembered thanks to her letters with her husband, John Adams, the first Vice President  and the second President of the United States. She was the mother of the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. She was the first Second Lady of the United States. When her husband John Adams succeeded George Washington as President of the United States, Abigail became the second First Lady and the first to live in the White House.

The letters written between Abigail and John Adams well document their marriage relationship and exposes one of the greatest love stories in American history! The letters shed light on their emotional attachment and their mutual intellectual respect.

Abigail’s father, was a minister in the Congregational Church who preached the importance of reason and morality. Her mother was from the Quincy family, a very influential political family in the Massachusetts Colony. Although she did not receive a formal education due to frail health, her mother taught her and her sisters to read and write. She was also well versed in English and French literature. Thanks to her open-mindedness and idea’s on women’s rights and government, Abigail would become one of the most erudite First Ladies in American history. She would also be one of the most influential and politically active First Ladies. Her political opponents referred to her as “Mrs. President.”

She was also the first First Lady to live in the White House. In 1800, near the end of his term, the President and the First Lady moved into the President’s House, as it was known at the time, while it was still under construction by slave labor, a practice that both she and her husband abhorred!

President Adams lost his bid for re-election in 1800 to then Vice President Thomas Jefferson. Upon Jefferson’s inauguration, the Adams retired back to their home in Quincy, Massachusetts. During her time back in Quincy she closely followed the political career of her son, John Quincy Adams, and renewed correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, their one-time close friend and later political enemy. Thanks to this renewed correspondence, Abigail rekindled the close friendship that the Adams had with Thomas Jefferson.

On October 28, 1818, Abigail Adams died rom typhoid fever and unfortunately never had the pleasure of seeing her son, John Quincy Adams, elected the 6th President of the United States. She was just shy of her 74th birthday. Her last words to her husband were, "Do not grieve, my friend, my dearest friend. I am ready to go. And John, it will not be long."

To learn more about this great American First Lady, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Adams

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/abigailadams

http://www.familytales.org/results.php?tla=aba

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/ADAMYD.html

http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=2

Watch excerpts from the 2008 HBO miniseries “John Adams” with scenes depicting Abigail Adams played by Laura Linney and John Adams played by Paul Giamatti:

The 2008 HBO series was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning biography John Adams by David McCullough. I read this book and I highly recommend it and the miniseries!!

You can buy the book and the series in DVD or Blu ray at Amazon !

I also very highly recommend the documentary American Experience: John and Abigail Adams (2005)

Vocabulary in the News: Michelle Obama Tries to Win Over Russians

VOCABULARY

to win over	(phrasal verb) to persuade someone to agree with you or to be friendly with you Mrs. Obama will face a challenge as she tries to win over the Russian people
to face a challenge	to deal with something that needs a lot of skill, energy and determination, especially something you have never done before and will enjoy doing - Note: if you face a challenge successfully, you meet a challenge.
in the spotlight	(idiomatic) in a situation where you get a lot of public attention The Russian people aren’t used to seeing politicians’ wives in the spotlight. - Note: a spotlight is a powerful that shines on a small area such as in a theater
to make public remarks	to publically give facts or your opinion about something or someone
to spark rumors (U.S) or rumours (British)	(idiomatic) to start or produce stories or information that may or may not be true. The wife of former President Vladimir Putin was seen in public so infrequently it sparked rumors that the two are estranged. - Note: to spark means to start a fire or an explosion
estranged	an estranged husband or wife is no longer living with their partner
to embrace	to accept and include something Reisa Gorbachev embraced high fashion.
to beg the question	(expression) to make you want to know the answer to a particular question And that begs the question how this American First Lady; already known for her elegance, personal style and not to mention a willingness to speak her mind; will play in today’s Russia. - Note: to beg is when you ask for something and show you want it very much. It is also used when you ask for money or food, usually because you are very poor.
willingness	the state of being ready to do something, even when you do not want to
needless to say	(expression) used for saying that something is already known or understood There are more Russian women in politics and in the government, which needless to say, makes me very happy.
to be in sharp contrast to something	to be extremely different from something else The Obama girls are often seen at public events which is sharp contrast to the children of Medvedev and Putin, who have almost never been seen in public.

Culture Spot: Love & Marriage in America’s Past – A White House Wedding

The Cleveland’s wedding – the only presidential nuptials ever held in the White House – took place in a flower-bedecked Blue Room. Frances Cleveland was more tolerant of the press than her husband, and the public, in turn, adored her.

Immensely private, somewhat abrasive, and a portly 300 pounds, President Grover Cleveland was not most people’s idea of a romantic leading man. But, as a 49-year-old bachelor in the White House, he nevertheless had mothers throughout America busily plotting schemes for introducing their daughters to him. Cleveland, however, paid no mind: when asked about his marriage plans, he simply replied, “I’m waiting for my wife to grow up.”

Little did anyone suspect that Cleveland was serious, for he was in fact courting lovely Frances Folsom – 27 years his junior, and the daughter of his former law partner in Buffalo, New York. Frances had been 11 when her father died, and Cleveland, who administrated the estate, also took on the role of her guardian. It was a duty he undertook with the utmost propriety. But in time, his avuncular concerns for his young ward ripened into abiding affection.

Given their considerable age differences and Cleveland’s prominence, he pursued the relationship with great delicacy and secrecy, mostly by mail. Waiting until she had graduated from college and made the grand tour of Europe, Cleveland stunned America with the announcement on May 28, 1886, that he would marry Frances at the White House within the week. By marrying quickly, he hoped, the opportunities for gossip and “keyhole journalism” would be kept to a minimum. But that would not be.

The couple’s simple Blue Room wedding (at which Frances wore an ivory satin gown with a 15-foot train) was duly covered by the press. But when the Clevelands left by rail for a remote honeymoon cottage in the foothills of Maryland’s Blue Ridge Mountains, they were trailed by a second train loaded with newsmen, who set up camp nearby.

With the aid of field glasses, the reporters went to work telling the world every intimate detail of the couple’s activities. As the days went by, Cleveland became increasingly outraged by what he termed the “newspaper nuisances” and their “colossal impertinence.” In truth, however, the public’s hunger for news of the pair was inspired not by malice but by affection. The president had captured the nation’s heart by falling in love. Frances turned out to be one of the most popular first ladies ever to preside in the executive mansion, and their January-and-June marriage remains among the more celebrated of all presidential matches.

Taken from Discovering America’s Past – Customs, Legends, History & Lore of Our Great Nation, 1993 published by Reader’s Digest

Christmas in America - The White House Christmas Tree

The First Lady Laura Bush kicked off the Christmas season at the White House by receiving the White House Christmas tree on Sunday. The 6.10 meter Fraser Fir was delivered by horse-drawn carriage to the front steps where the First Lady was waiting. The tree will be set up in the Blue Room of the White House and Mrs. Bush explained that as the centerpiece of the White House's holiday decor, the White House Christmas tree would be decorated by ornaments coming from American artists all around the United States. Other than that, this year's holiday decorating theme has yet to be announced. The White House Christmas tree has been presented to American First Ladies since 1966 by The National Christmas Tree Association.

Visit the White House website to view First Lady Laura Bush's remarks.

Visit the Blue Room in the White House/

VOCABULARY

to kick off - démarrer

horse-drawn carriage - calèche

centerpiece - décoration centrale