A summary history of New-England

Hannah Adams (1755-1831) was probably the first professional author in the United States of America. She wrote books on religious history, but also published the history of her own region in A summary history of New-England. Adams frequented the Boston Athenaeum, local bookstores, and the library of her distant cousin president John Adams for source material. For this work, Adams used state archives and old newspapers, causing serious injury to her eyesight. The publication of an abridged school version of this work got her in conflict with Jedidiah Morse, the father of the famous inventor, who was working on a similar project. The controversy and loss of revenue suffered by Adams, led her supporters to the creation of an annuity for her, allowing her to continue to write without financial worries.