Abigail Adams: Founding Mother, Women’s Rights Pioneer, and America’s First White House Resident. With New York Times Bestselling Author Stephanie Dray

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, we look beyond the Founding Fathers to the formidable woman who helped shape a nation from behind the scenes — Abigail Adams.

Often remembered for urging her husband to “remember the ladies,” Abigail Adams was far more than a presidential spouse. She was an early advocate for women’s rights, a critic of slavery, a manager of family finances and farmland during wartime, and a trusted political advisor during the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

Married to John Adams — revolutionary leader, diplomat, and future president — Abigail maintained their Massachusetts farm while he served overseas and in Philadelphia. Through hundreds of letters, she offered sharp political insight, candid observations about the Continental Congress, and bold opinions about education and liberty. She also raised the couple’s children, including future president John Quincy Adams, shaping one of America’s most consequential political families.

In this episode, New York Times bestselling historical novelist Stephanie Dray joins us to discuss her latest novel, A Founding Mother, co-written with Laura Kamoie. Known for acclaimed works such as America’s First Daughter, My Dear Hamilton, and the Cleopatra’s Daughter trilogy, Dray specializes in bringing complex historical women vividly to life.

Together, we explore:

• Abigail Adams as a Founding Mother and political partner
• Her groundbreaking call for women’s legal and educational rights
• Her opposition to slavery in revolutionary America
• The realities of managing a household during war and epidemic
• What it meant to become the first presidential resident of the White House
• How historical fiction reclaims women’s voices in early American history

Abigail Adams lived through smallpox epidemics, wartime shortages, political upheaval, and the fragile birth of democracy. Yet she remained intellectually fearless — a woman who believed that liberty must extend beyond men in powdered wigs to the women who kept the nation running.

As America reflects on its founding era, Abigail’s story feels newly urgent. Her letters reveal a woman keenly aware of the contradictions of freedom in a young republic — and determined that women not be left behind.

Whether you’re passionate about American history, women’s history, the American Revolution, presidential history, or historical fiction, this conversation offers fresh insight into one of the most influential women of the 18th century.

Publication date: May 5, 2026.

Pre-order here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063234769 or www.harpercollins.com

www.stephaniedray.com

https://draykamoie.com/