Abigail Smith Adams PORTRAYED BY KIM HANLEY
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 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.
Ms. Hanley’s interactive school programs involve audience members who begin with large piles of money that grow smaller with each tax act that the British Parliament passes, illustrating the economic tyranny the colonials faced under British rule. Abigail contrasts this inequality with a look into an egalitarian marriage of two intelligent, articulate people who value themselves, each other and their relationship.
Invite Abigail Adams to your event: • Keynote Speaker: Women’s Issues, Patriotism, Education, and other topics on request • Educational Programs: Schools, Libraries, Museums, Historical Sites
“What a delighful way to spend an afternoon! The patrons were charmed with your excellent re-enactment of Abigail Adams and learned so much from your insights into this great lady’s life.” –Prince William Public Library, Virginia
“She kept the audience on their toes, and many said they wished she would speak forever…. We were all transported back in time as she made history come alive.” –Friends of the Stafford Library, Manahawkin, NJ
“You are the perfect Abigail Adams. You are gracious, witty, and very knowledgeable. Thank you for an absolutely wonderful evening.” B.D., Spring Lake Historical Society
Kim Hanley: Bio Actor/Historian, Interpreter, Reenactor, Impersonator
Kim Hanley’s Abigail Adams makes delightful human connections with audiences large, small, and individual!
John Adams (Peyton Dixon) and Abigail Adams (Kim Hanley) discuss freedom of speech in one of the many conversations they have in their two-person shows.