ABBY

By Domenica Diaz ft. Hanna Adams

CHARACTERS
ABIGAIL ABBY ADAMS
-particularly smart, wise woman
-wife of John Adams

JOHN ADAMS
-Continental Congress Rep. then first VP of the United States
-hot-headed, aggravated
-husband of Abigail

MERCY OTIS WARREN

-radical revolutionary writer
-Thomas Paine-esque
-close friend of Abigail

SAMUEL ADAMS
-Founder of the Sons of Liberty
-reckless and destructive revolutionary
-cousin of John Adams

THOMAS JEFFERSON
-Virginian representative
-staunch opponent of John Adams

MARTHA WASHINGTON
-wife of General George Washington
-close friend of Abigail

ABIGAIL NABBY ADAMS Jr.

-oldest Adams daughter

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

-oldest Adams son

COLONIAL ENSEMBLE

SC I

2
MAIN OUT

NARRATION: The shots at Lexington and Concord have been heard

around the world. A great experiment is about to begin. The American
colonies wage war against the British crown and new nation is being
built, brick by brick, by the men and women who dare to stand for
freedom.

LADIES: Mrs. Adams!

GENTLEMEN: Mr. Adams!

LADIES: Abigail!

GENTLEMEN: John!

LADY 1: Abigail, what is going on?

GENTLEMAN 1: John, shes just a woman, you ought to keep her out
of politics.

LADY 2: Hell listen to you, Abby.

GENTLEMAN 2: Youve got to stop listening to her, John, its not her
place.

ABIGAIL/JOHN: I understand your concern.

ABIGAIL: Weve been going without for so long, without so much as a

treatise coming out of Philadelphia. But we must understand

JOHN: Gentlemen, let me assure you, Mrs. Adams is not your

Massachusetts representative, I am!

ABIGAIL: Remember your devotion to Massachusetts and to this

union, ladies. The future of the nation rests upon us!

Ladies EXIT, content

JOHN: We are standing on the precipice of revolution and we dally in

trivial matters like my correspondence with my wife? We are gathered
to fulfill a purpose, so shall we get to it?

Gentlemen EXIT, disgruntled

3
JOHN: Dearest Abigail, I cannot possibly explain how tedious
government work is. Jefferson preaches the values of freedom and yet
believes that slavery ought to continue. What world do we live in
where money trumps the rights of man?

ABIGAIL: (quite exasperated) John, I am not shocked. The Congress is

composed of plantation owners, lawyers and businessmen, did you
expect them to not legislate in their best interest? I admire your
idealism, John, but theres no need for these delusions. Congress is
what it is.

JOHN: Ive said it all along, Jefferson and his men are trying to hold us
back. We shall have freedom, but we shall hold slaves. How does that
make any sense? Ive told them, Abby, Ive said that we need to
change our ways. And you know what they say to me? They call me
annoying and arrogant. Snobbish.

ABIGAIL: An egotist even. John, this is about something much greater

than you. Take yourself out of the equation and get on with it already.
You men are making this all too complicated. There is no need for this
dramatic suspense.

JOHN: And you call me an idealist, Im afraid politics are not that
simple, Abigail.

ABIGAIL: This isnt politics, John. We are at war. Its about all you
Congressmen getting over yourselves to save all the rest of us.

JOHN: The war grows bloodier every day, you think I do not see that? I
am trying, Abby, but they refuse to compromise and we refuse to stand
down.

ABIGAIL: (puts letter down, muttering to herself, quite disgruntled)

SC II

Quincy, Massachusetts
ABBY is in her kitchen, tidying

*knock knock*

ABBY goes to open the door, it is SAM ADAMS

ADAMS children run to greet their uncle

ABIGAIL: Well, if it isnt Britains most wanted. Good morning, Samuel.

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SAMUEL: Morning, Abby, have you read todays paper?

ABIGAIL: Not yet but I can take a guess. John Adams: Treasonous
Sellout?

SAMUEL: Youd think theyve got something better to write about.

There was a warehouse fire downtown just yesterday.

ABIGAIL gives him a suspicious glance

SAMUEL: That I had nothing to do with! Quite frankly, Mrs. Adams, I

am offended by the mere suggestion that

ABIGAIL: Shut it, Samuel. Read.

SAMUEL: Never have I met a more arrogant and infuriating man such
as the likes of Mr. John Adams. He is not only vain but a complete
obstructionist.

ABIGAIL: They blame John for Congress being unable to work?

SAMUEL: Oh no, it gets better.

Mr. Adams is out of touch with our reality. He argues relentlessly and
when the tides turn against him, he runs. He sits upon his shining hill in
Massachusetts with his pretentious, shrill wife.

ABIGAIL is aghast

ABIGAIL: Shrill? I am not shrill! And John does not run, he comes home
to see his children. Who is this?

SAMUEL: Three guesses, though you wont need them.

ABIGAIL: Hamilton. Of course. Were out of touch? How about him,

married off to his rich wife, living in New York City. I told John, I said it
when I first met that man, I saw the devil himself in Hamiltons eyes.
Talk about a lunatic.

SAMUEL: Some might say that about our John. Hes a radical, theres
no doubt about that.

ABIGAIL: Must run in the family.

SAMUEL: (chuckling) Throw tea into the harbor once and suddenly Im
a radical. You and Mrs. Warren arent so innocent yourselves.

5
ABIGAIL: Mercys worse than I am. I hardly think equal rights and
protection under law is a radical notion.

SAMUEL: Certain Virginians may disagree with you.

ABIGAIL: JeffersonLife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Absolute

garbage. Whos that for? Not me, certainly. I cant even own the land
Im standing on.

SAMUEL: Youre right. But whats that his men say? Most men would
rather entertain the idea of being rich rather than face the realities of
being poor? Perhaps John is just a little off putting in that regard.

ABIGAIL: Were at war, theres no time to entertain fantasy. The more

they squabble, the further John drifts. I miss him, Samuel, the children
miss him.

SAMUEL: Dont worry about John, he can take care of himself. We

must all suffer for our cause, Abby. That doesnt mean we get to stop
fighting.

ABIGAIL: Hmm, yes thats what you all keep telling me.

JOHN QUINCY: Uncle Samuel, tell us more about Boston, did you
really fight off an entire regiment of red coats?

SAMUEL chuckles

ABBY: Dont be giving him any ideas! John Quincy! Nabby, follow your
brother, make sure your uncle doesnt get him into trouble.

FADE INTO LETTER WRITING

ABIGAIL: To Mrs. Mercy Warren, Boston, Massachusetts

Mercy, I dont know what to do. John is away for months at a time, all
the while being dragged through the mud by the men in Philadelphia.
The war continues. My children are ill and afraid. Ive no clue what to
do.

MERCY: To Mrs. Abigail Adams, Quincy, Massachusetts

What attitude is this? I am sorry to hear about your children but I
refuse to accept that this is the woman I know. Abigail, do you not see
the opportunity we have been given? Great advantages are often
attended with great inconveniences, and great minds called to severe

6
trials. This moment here is our great advantage. America is ours for
the taking.

ABIGAIL: Im not sure what you mean by that.

MERCY: Come on, Abby, think. We are the mothers of the nation.
Whatever the men of this age may do will be eclipsed by the actions of
our children. We cannot leave our fate in the hands of men who are
failing us as we speak, we must focus on teaching something better.

ABIGAIL: Indoctrinating the young, You are a highly conspiratorial

woman.

MERCY: I am a highly productive woman.

ABIGAIL: Youre a writer, I suppose youre meant to be crafty. John

wants so badly to help but you know as well as I that he is fighting a
battle he cant win.

MERCY: So then raise your children to finish it for him. Theres a

million things theyve got to learn from you, Abigail. Our boycotts are
failing, the British are gaining. Shots in the street, death in every town.
That is not a future our children can believe in. We need them to make
something better.

ABIGAIL: I want them to understand all of the work that their father
has done. Regardless of what those hateful, slanderous men might say.

MERCY: Fight then. Gather the ladies, get to work. This war will not
stop for a silly government squabble. My husbands unit is camped at
Bunker Hill and the sons of my neighbor are in the trenches at Valley
Forge. Lives continue to be lost while our men argue about philosophy
and ethics. Show them and your children what women are capable of.

ABIGAIL: I cant change anything.

MERCY: Not for yourself, no. But for every woman after you.

ABIGAIL: Youre an idealist.

MERCY: I am an optimist.

ABIGAIL: Some say that you are a radical, an anarchist even. Wholly
unpatriotic.

MERCY: If my country respects me, then I can respect it. .

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ABIGAIL: Hm. This country is like a child. And every child needs a
mother. Someone to guide them, teach them. Help them grow and
progress through life. And who better to do that than people like you
and I? Our Congress can barely justify its existence. Why shouldnt we
give an example of what it really means to be American?

MERCY: Youre a clever woman, Abigail. The nation is ours for the
taking.

ABIGAIL: Well then we had better start working.

SC III

MERCY: Have you been to see Abigail lately?

SAM: Shes on a war path, Mercy. Shes got all the women in town riled
up. General Washington ought to get some tips from her.

MERCY: She is a very charming woman, Ive always envied that in her,
you know.

SAM: Well, Mercy, perhaps if you stopped publicly shaming politicians,

people would find you more appealing.

MERCY: That seems like an unfair trade off. No fun at all.

SAM: Then maybe youll just have to deal with being disliked.

MERCY: Very well then. Ive got no one to please. Im no politician.

SAM: You write speeches for one.

MERCY: Thats only because my husband knows Im a better writer

than he is.

SAM: Oh, and humble as well? (MERCY smacks SAMs arm) You and
Abby also come off a bit aggressive Ive got to say.

MERCY: Hm, then perhaps you men ought to think twice about making
widowhood a womans only path to power? 1 (SAM is alarmed)

SAM: Wow, Mercy, thats dark.

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MERCY: Doesnt make it any less true. Why shouldnt I be free to share
whatever opinions I want, like you do? There are certainly people
whod like to shut you up, but youre protected.

SAM: Thats different.

MERCY: Its not. Im an American, youre an American. I can be as

aggressive about my opinions as you are about yours.

SAM: Men are different about opinions, Mercy.

MERCY: So I can raise a president but not vote for one? Whose
freedom am I fighting for then? Yours? Youre freer right now than Ill
ever be and youre a criminal!

SAM: Criminal is such a harsh word. But yours is an unfortunate reality.

Freedom is entirely subjective. For women, for slaves, for the poor, its
not a fight for freedom. Its fighting for the right to fight for yourselves.
Seems right now youve just got to fall in line.

MERCY: Fall in line? That logic is ridiculous. Weve got no time for that.
You would never simply fall in line.

SAM: Your undying need to be correct is extremely annoying.

MERCY: But I am correct, arent I?

SAM: As usual.

MERCY: Dont feel bad, Sam, its just because Im smarter than you.
Its all part of my not-so feminine mystique.2

SAM: Maybe I should stop coming around here so often, I always leave
feeling

MERCY: Enlightened?

SAM: Attacked.

MERCY: Oh please. Now, go and play with your toy soldiers, corrupt
the youth, find something new to blow up. Let Abby and I handle the
real work.

SC IV

ABIGAIL is asleep when suddenly cannon fire can be heard

9
NABBY: (from offstage) Mother! (Enters stage) Mother, what is that
sound?

ABIGAIL: (comes to comfort her daughter) Shh, its alright, dear. Well
see.

BOTH leave the bedroom and walk out into their yard, where
CONTINENTAL ARMY SOLDIERS already stand, looking in one
direction

ABIGAIL: (moves to the front) Where is that?

SOLDIER: Bunker Hill, maam. The redcoats are laying siege against
Boston.

ABBY: (to herself) Oh, Mercy and Joseph

NABBY: Mother, they wont come here, will they?

ABIGAIL: Were safe here, love. Go find John Quincy and come right
back, okay?

NABBY agrees and skitters of

ABIGAIL: Captain, are we safe here?

SOLDIER: Were too far inland for their navy and they wont waste
time on farm country. Theyll move towards the city.

ABIGAIL: You think theyll bring a naval battle to Massachusetts Bay?

SOLDIER: I believe its only a matter of time, maam.

ABIGAIL: Tell your men that they can stay in Quincy as long as they
need, Captain. What more can we do for you?

SOLDIER: Mrs. Adams, you are too kind. We cannot ask for anything
more than to be allowed to make camp on your familys land.

ABIGAIL: You can and you must. Your boys arent the only ones
fighting this war.

SOLDIER: Well, you can see from our troops that the armys needs are
quite dire. Clothing, ammunition, shoes, food. The only thing we seem

10
to have an excess of is disease. There just never seems to be enough
to go around.

ABIGAIL: Well get enough.

NABBY and JOHN QUINCY return

JOHN QUINCY: Mother?

ABIGAIL: Ah, yes, children. Mummy is going to need you to start

helping her with work soon, can you do that?

They nod

ABIGAIL: John, youre to go straight down to the village and start

collecting all the salt you can. And when they let you in the kitchen,
check for any British made goods, weve got make sure our own ladies
are upholding the boycott. Go on, hurry along.

JOHN QUINCY exits

ABIGAIL: Now, Nabby, Im going to need you to get all the fabrics that
you can, along with needles, pins and threads. Find all the girls you
can, bring them up to the farmhouse, understood?

NABBY nods and then exits

SOLDIER: Seems to me youve got your own army, Mrs. Adams.

ABIGAIL: Got to start them young. They miss their father. All they
want is to bring him home.

SC V

Early Morning, family gathered in the kitchen

Several women sit around the kitchen table, sewing uniforms

ABIGAIL enters with cooking materials

ABIGAIL: Bit more fulfilling than needlepoint, isnt it, ladies?

They chuckle

JOHN QUINCY: Mother, youve received a letter.

11
ABIGAIL: (distractedly) From Mrs. Warren? Just place it on the table,
love.

JOHN QUINCY: No, Motherfrom Mrs. Washington.

ABIGAIL: (stops) Martha Washington?

JOHN QUINCY nods

MARTHA:

Mrs. Adams,
I hope you are well and that your children are healthy. George has
moved us to Cambridge and intends to elevate the war effort. With
winter approaching, I worry that this may be unwise. I have heard of
the efforts you are making and would like to send my sincerest thanks.
You see the soldiers, you see how our boys are run down. I worry for
the winter. Abigail, what does John think of this? Even that fool Samuel
must see the suffering of our people? I desperately need some sign of
hope for our cause. Please, Abigail, tell me of something that is not so
dreadful.

ABIGAIL: Oh dear. Oh dear.

NABBY: Mrs. Washington seems upset.

ABIGAIL: She is quite distraught. She has just lost another child.

JOHN QUINCY: To the war? Like Mrs. Warrens husband?

ABIGAIL: No, not like that. Her husband died very bravely, fighting on
Bunker Hill. Mercys been quitedisengaged with the whole thing.
(Pause) No, with Marthas kids its different. Sometimes it is just the
nature of life. But a lot of mothers are losing their sons to this war,
John, youre right.

JOHN QUINCY: We wont lose father, will we?

NABBY: Hes not fighting, idiot. Hes with Congress, writing.

JOHN QUINCY: Hows writing supposed to stop the British?

NABBY: Were going to win, John. Mr. Franklin is the smartest man on
the continent and he thinks were going to win so it must be true. Dad
said so.

12
JOHN QUINCY: Well, if there are so many other smart people, how
come Father has to be away so often, huh? Why cant the others do it,
if theyre all so smart.

ABIGAIL: Because some of those men, even though theyre smart, are
also exceptionally stupid.

JOHN QUINCY seems confused, the women all laugh and mutter
in agreement

A knock comes at the door

ABIGAIL answers, it is a SOLDIER

SOLDIER: Ready for the next batch, maam.

ABIGAIL picks a pile of uniforms up of the table

ABIGAIL: These are going to General Washingtons troops?

SOLDIER: Thats what Ive been told.

ABIGAIL: Tell Mr. Hamilton that Abigail Adams sends her regards. And
when this is all over, Id like for us to have chat.

SOLDIER: (wary) Will do, maam.

SOLDIER exits

ABIGAIL: (muttering to herself) I am not shrill.

JOHN QUINCY: Mother, Ive found all the silverware in the house,
would you like me to go ask the neighbors? (he holds a basket of silver)

ABIGAIL: Yes, dear, then take them down the hill to the foundry and
start again. Dont stop until youve asked absolutely everyone. Now,
pass me my writing set, if you please.

Settling at desk to write

ABIGAIL: We have been working day and night, making new uniforms
and curing meat for the army regiments that pass through. I spoke to
the women in Boston, before the battle, about maintaining the
boycotts. Im sure you know what Samuel and his Sons of Liberty have
been up to these past few weeks.

13
JOHN: Abby, I am inspired by your dedication. I wish every day that I
could return home to you. I am sorry to bother you but there has been
a request that the ladies begin manufacturing ammunition, we are
running quite low these days.

ABIGAIL: Its no bother at all, John, as long as you Congressmen do

something for us in return.

JOHN: Sorry?

ABIGAIL: Sugar. Our food is as briny as the sea, we need sugar. Send it
to us and well manufacture your weapons straight away.

JOHN: Youve got to be joking. Were at war.

ABIGAIL: Mercy and I agree that war is no reason to compromise for

our own needs. War also makes me believe that you Congressmen
want to get to your bullets as quick as you can. So send sugar.

JOHN: Youre a stubborn and ridiculous woman. We shall do as you ask,

but you are not making any friends here, Abigail.

ABIGAIL: Luckily, that wasnt my intention. But while were on the

subject, John, please, I urge you, in the creation of our new
Constitution, to remember the ladies of these colonies and try not be
as harsh to us as your ancestors once were. A nation whose women
and workers and poor are subjugated is nation that cannot and will not
stand. We are doing all that we can.

JOHN: This Congress owes the women of Massachusetts Bay very

much and we intend to repay it however we possibly can.

ABIGAIL: (skeptical) Get back to me once Mr. Jefferson has weighed in

on that, John. Then well see.

SC VI

JEFFERSON, JOHN and several other FRAMERS are gathered

around a table

JEFFERSON: Abolish slavery? Adams, you cant be serious.

JOHN: How can we claim to be the land of the free while upholding an
archaic and evil practice? Slave holding colonies violate our very basic
beliefs.

14
JEFFERSON: Our general is a Virginian, I am a Virginian. This borders
on treason. Its financially ruinous.

JOHN: Mr. Jefferson, I believe that it was you who preached the ideals
of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Why is it only those who
stand to gain a profit who get those rights? And, while were on the
topic of rights, my wife and the women of Massachusetts Bay have
done more to advance this war effort than we have. They make our
uniforms, our rations, our weapons. She manages our farm and keeps
our town running because our war has taken all the men away. They
cannot even own the land they work on.

JEFFERSON: Mr. Adams, I believe youll need this. (offers him a

handkerchief) Because your heart is bleeding all over the floor. We are
at war. We are just trying to get this nation off the ground, right now.
Slavery, women, political philosophy, thats an argument for another
day.

JOHN: Or perhaps you could use it to wipe the dew off your spectacles
and see that the world is moving.3 (Throw handkerchief back) If we
dont fix it now, the next generation will suffer.

JEFFERSON: Doesnt seem like thats my problem right now. We will

wait until 1808 and discuss this further.

JOHN: Wait? Our time is now, we have already been called to action!

JEFFERSON: Emancipation will destroy our fragile economy. Youll ruin

us before we even get a chance to begin.

JOHN: Whatever philosophy you preach, Thomas, history will always

remember you as a slave driver.

JEFFERSON: Im doing whats best for our country, John, are you?

JOHN: You are blinded by your greed, sir.

JEFFERSON: There are not many sailors in Virginia.

JOHN: Pardon me?

JEFFERSON: But there are plenty in your precious Massachusetts Bay.

JOHN: What do you mean, Jefferson?

15
JEFFERSON: Dont condemn the driver and not the trader, John.
Slavery is not a Southern disease, New England is not above making
money in the trade.

JOHN: Money is not all that matters here. This is the foundation of a
new nation, a new free world. If we set money above dignity now, what
example is that for our future? Our country is not just filled with other
men like you. There are people whose voices will never be heard in this
room. You are all fools, incompetent. You sit
here, you do nothing, you let our men die and your visions of grandeur
have no meaning. You believe in nothing, you are creating a fantasy.

GENTLEMAN 1: Sit down, John! Jefferson has a point.

GENTLEMAN 2: It isunwise to emancipate at a time like this. The

South relies on its institutions.

JOHN: Institutions?!

GENTLEMAN 1: And the American woman will already be freer than

most others of her kind, simply by being a citizen of our nation.

JOHN: But how do we ensure that? If we dont grant it now, when will
equality come?

JEFFERSON: Now, John, I see you speaking but all I hear is Abigail.
Perhaps you should give her the news, no matter what she and her
merry band of seamstresses do, politics is not womens work.

SC VII

ABBY: Here it is!

ABBY reads a letter from JOHN out loud to MERCY and the
ADAMS CHILDREN

Dearest friend,

I cannot give you all that you ask for or need from your government.
Our legislation may not always reflect your best interest and for that I
sincerely apologize. Perhaps we will never live in a land where all men
and women are seen as truly equal. But we do live in a better world
due to the work of mothers like you.

ABIGAIL: (setting the letter down) Is that all we will ever get? After
everything we do for them.

16
MERCY: Did you expect anything more?

ABBY: The idealist in me, yes. You were the one who taught me that.

MERCY: Perhaps I was wrong. It seems whenever we take a step

forward, they push us two steps back.

ABIGAIL: Theres no need to be so negative.

MERCY: Its realism, my dear. Its like Ive said before, nothing is going
to change for us. Its up to them. Hear that? John Quincy, when youre
president, youll watch out for us ladies right?

ABIGAIL and NABBY chuckle

NABBY: Thats a long shot.

MERCY: Winning the war is a long shot, but its got to get done. I know
it all looks stacked against you right now, but youve got to make
yourself heard, its got to happen. There are no ifs ands or buts about
it.

ABIGAIL: Thats a lot of pressure to put on kids, Mercy.

MERCY: No use in shielding them from the truth. Youve got smart
kids, Abby, they know the problems that our generation sweeps under
the rug are going to be theirs to suffer through.

JOHN QUINCY: Thats true. But if the South is so mad, why dont they
just make their own country?

ABIGAIL: Oh, son, thats absurd.

JOHN QUINCY and NABBY begin to bicker as siblings do

MERCY: Youre doing a good job, you know, Abby? It doesnt matter
what the Congress says, the people respect you just as much as any
man.

ABIGAIL: Its not about me, Mercy. Its never been about me. I want
this for them. I want them to grow up in a world thats better than the
one we came from. Always forward, never back, you know? No matter
what obstacles appear in our way.

17
MERCY: Then youd better keep working Mrs. Adams, because I
believe some of those Congressmen are trying to quell our tide.

ABIGAIL: Id like to see them try.

END

NARRATION
1: Abigail Adams is often called a mother of the republic, a woman
influential in shaping all future generations of Americans. Along with
John Adams, she advocated for the abolition of slavery and the
expansion of womens rights.

2. She was a highly controversial figure in her time, largely because of

her open sharing of political opinions and constant communication with
John and other colonial representatives. Her feud with Alexander
Hamilton would last a lifetime.

3. When Abigail became the second First Lady of the United States,
concerns about her involvement in government only grew. Some
opponents of Adams even went so far as to call his wife Mrs.
President, as to imply that she was pulling the strings.

4. She was wise and had a mind that was greatly ahead of her time.
Mrs. Adams paved the road for generations of women that would come
after her and gave a very public example of what it truly means to be
an American.

FOOTNOTES

1. Reference to a Gloria Steinem quote, feminist icon

2. Reference to Betty Friedans The Feminine Mystique, one of the
most revolutionary pieces of feminist literature
3. Reference to an Elizabeth Cady Stanton quote, a first wave
feminist and leader of the Seneca Falls Convention

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