Fourth Grader Aces History Report, With a Little Help from Google Books and Abigail Adams
August 16th, 2011 | Published in Google Books
Lydia's mom recounts her daughter's tale:
Last year, when Lydia was in fourth grade, her teacher assigned the students to write a short biography about an historical figure. In addition to writing a short report, the children were also assigned to orally present it to the class, in costume, along with four or five "relics" related to the person.
Lydia chose to focus on First Lady Abigail Adams, wife to John Adams, the second president of the US. In the course of her research, Lydia learned that John and Abigail corresponded extensively with each other, since they were frequently separated. They often discussed government and politics. Of key importance was the letter Abigail wrote to John while the Declaration of Independence was being crafted. In the letter, Abigail told John to "remember the ladies". Lydia learned that this letter was among the earliest known pieces of writings advocating for women's equality.
Abigail Adams posing for a portrait (found the cover page and selected a few more pages in a matter of moments. She printed the cover page and showed that as one of her relics.
The end result? Lydia got an "A" on her report!
The published collection of Abigail Adams' letters, courtesy of the New York Public Library
The end result? Lydia got an "A" on her report!