The Adams Family & Friends: A Biographical Case Study of Miss Hannah Adams & A History of Singleness in 18th- and 19th-Century America

Abstract

Hannah Adams (1755–1831) was a pioneering American writer: the first professional female author, historian, and textbook writer, the first woman to petition Congress for copyright, and an early student of religious diversity. Despite these achievements, she has been largely overlooked by academia and has only one full-length, scholarly biography. This dissertation aims to fill that gap by presenting Hannah’s life in an accessible, narrative form. Using Tomoko Masuzawa’s method of blending focused textual analysis with broader historical comparison, it explores whether stigma around her lifelong singleness contributed to her neglect, as suggested by Sherry Schwartz. Through a close reading of Hannah’s memoir and examination of her family, friendships, and mentorships—particularly with men—this study traces her life from the French and Indian War through the American Revolution to 1831. It challenges feminist views that women’s success relied mainly on female networks, showing instead that Hannah’s intellectual life was supported primarily by male relationships, complicating early American gender and social dynamics.