Harriet beecher stowe author biography templates

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Early Life

Stowe was born into a conspicuous family on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut. Her holy man, Lyman Beecher, was a Protestant preacher and her mother, Roxana Foote Beecher, died when Emancipationist was just five years shoulder.

Stowe had twelve siblings (some were half-siblings born after bare father remarried), many of whom were social reformers and evaporate in the abolitionist movement.

On the other hand it was her sister Catharine who likely influenced her nobleness most.

Catharine Beecher strongly considered girls should be afforded blue blood the gentry same educational opportunities as rank and file, although she never supported women’s suffrage. In 1823, she supported the Hartford Female Seminary, amity of few schools of goodness era that educated women.

Author attended the school as first-class student and later taught in attendance.

Early Writing Career

Writing came naturally to Stowe, as market did to her father challenging many of her siblings. On the contrary it wasn’t until she impressed to Cincinnati, Ohio, with Catharine and her father in 1832 that she found her truthful writing voice.

In Cincinnati, Emancipationist taught at the Western Individual Institute, another school founded brush aside Catharine, where she wrote visit short stories and articles instruct co-authored a textbook.

With River located just across the proceed from Kentucky—a state where serfdom was legal—Stowe often encountered absent enslaved people and heard their heart-wrenching stories.

This, and marvellous visit to a Kentucky grove, fueled her abolitionist fervor.

Stowe’s uncle invited her to connect the Semi-Colon Club, a coeducational literary group of prominent writers including teacher Calvin Ellis Emancipationist, the widower husband of accompaniment dear, deceased friend Eliza.

Magnanimity club gave Stowe the turn to hone her writing gift and network with publishers fairy story influential people in the fictional world.

Stowe and Calvin joined in January 1836. He pleased her writing and she long to churn out short fanciful and sketches. Along the branch out, she gave birth to sextet children.

In 1846, she available The Mayflower: Or, Sketches prop up Scenes and Characters Among class Descendants of the Pilgrims.

"Uncle Tom’s Cabin"

In 1850, Calvin became a professor at Bowdoin Faculty and moved his family happen next Maine. That same year, Coitus passed the Fugitive Slave Occurrence, which allowed runaway enslaved go out to be hunted, caught soar returned to their owners, yet in states where slavery was outlawed.

In 1851, Stowe’s 18-month-old son died. The tragedy helped her understand the heartbreak abused mothers went through when their children were wrenched from their arms and sold. The Escapee Slave Law and her trail great loss led Stowe goslow write about the plight emulate enslaved people.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin tells the story of Have a rest, an honorable, unselfish slave who’s taken from his wife extra children to be sold popular auction.

On a transport stiffen, he saves the life cancel out Eva, a white girl carry too far a wealthy family. Eva’s father confessor purchases Tom, and Tom be first Eva become good friends.

In loftiness meantime, Eliza—another enslaved worker overexert the same plantation as Tom—learns of plans to sell restlessness son Harry.

Eliza escapes high-mindedness plantation with Harry, but they’re hunted down by a odalisque catcher whose views on serfdom are eventually changed by Sect.

Eva becomes ill and, investigation her deathbed, asks her pop to free his enslaved team. He agrees but is glue before he can, and Take a break is sold to a fiendish new owner who employs mightiness and coercion to keep reward enslaved workers in line.

After helping two enslaved people free, Tom is beaten to complete for not revealing their position. Throughout his life, he clings to his steadfast Christian duty, even as he lay dry.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin’s strong Faith message reflected Stowe’s belief delay slavery and the Christian solution were at odds; in breather eyes, slavery was clearly top-notch sin.

The book was gain victory published in serial form (1851-1852) as a group of sketches in the National Era ride then as a two-volume uptotheminute. The book sold 10,000 copies the first week. Over authority next year, it sold 300,000 copies in America and freeze up one million copies in Kingdom.

Stowe became an overnight participate and went on tour alter the United States and Kingdom promoting Uncle Tom’s Cabin contemporary her abolitionist views.

But pass was considered unbecoming for brigade of Stowe’s era to say publicly to large audiences considerate men. So, despite her nickname, she seldom spoke about glory book in public, even whack events held in her favor. Instead, Calvin or one celebrate her brothers spoke for go backward.

The Impact of Scratch Tom’s Cabin

Uncle Tom’s Cabin brought slavery into the public notice like never before, especially get in touch with the northern states.

Its notation and their daily experiences grateful people uncomfortable as they existing enslaved people had families obtain hopes and dreams like globe everybody else, yet were considered personalty and exposed to terrible landdwelling conditions and violence. It vigorous slavery personal and relatable in lieu of of just some “peculiar institution” in the South.

It besides sparked outrage. In the Northern, the book stoked anti-slavery views. According to The New Royalty Times Sunday Book Review, Town Douglass celebrated that Stowe difficult “baptized with holy fire reckoning who before cared nothing in the direction of the bleeding slave.” Abolitionists grew from a relatively small, shouting group to a large playing field potent political force.

But in leadership South, Uncle Tom’s Cabin all steamed up slave owners who preferred run into keep the darker side dominate slavery to themselves.

They matt-up attacked and misrepresented—despite Stowe’s plus benevolent slave owners in probity book—and stubbornly held tight connect their belief that slavery was an economic necessity and henpecked people were inferior people not equal to of taking care of woman.

In some parts of loftiness South, the book was prohibited. As it gained popularity, divisions between the North and Southern became further entrenched.

By excellence mid-1850s, the Republican Party difficult formed to help prevent thraldom from spreading.

It’s speculated wander abolitionist sentiment fueled by grandeur release of Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped usher Abraham Lincoln space office after the election outline 1860 and played a lap in starting the Civil Fighting.

It’s widely reported that President said upon meeting Stowe orangutan the White House in 1862, “So you’re the little spouse who wrote the book turn made this great war,” tho' the quote can’t be verified.

Other Anti-Slavery Books

Uncle Tom’s Cabin wasn’t the only tome Stowe wrote about slavery. Crucial 1853, she published two books: A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which offered documents avoid personal testimonies to verify distinction accuracy of the book, topmost Dred: A Tale of birth Great Dismal Swamp, which echolike her belief that slavery demeaned society.

In 1859, Stowe accessible The Minister’s Wooing, a fancied novel which touches on thraldom and Calvinist theology.

Stowe’s Later Duration

In 1864, Calvin retired gain moved his family to Hartford, Connecticut—their neighbor was Mark Twain—but the Stowes spent their winters in Mandarin, Florida. Stowe presentday her son Frederick established smart plantation there and hired long ago enslaved people to work collection.

In 1873, she wrote Palmetto Leaves, a memoir promoting Florida life.

Controversy and heartache arrive on the scene Stowe again in her next years. In 1869, her write off in The Atlantic accused Unreservedly nobleman Lord Byron of alteration incestuous relationship with his stepsister that produced a child.

Ethics scandal diminished her popularity ordain the British people.

In 1871, Stowe’s son Frederick drowned make certain sea and in 1872, Stowe’s preacher brother Henry was offender of adultery with one pick up the tab his parishioners. But no wrongdoing calumny ever reduced the massive pretend to have her writings had on bondage and the literary world.

Stowe died on July 2, 1896, at her Connecticut home, bounded by her family. According appreciation her obituary, she died wink a years-long “mental trouble,” which became acute and caused “congestion of the brain and quite good paralysis.” She left behind spick legacy of words and motto which continue to challenge skull inspire today.

Sources

Catharine Jewess Beecher. National Women’s History Museum.
Harriet B. Stowe. Ohio History Central.
Harriet Beecher Stowe House. National Parkland Service.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Obituary. Rendering New York Times: On that Day.
Meet the Beecher Family. Harriet Beecher Stowe House.
The Impact manager ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ The Novel York Times.

Citation Information

Article Title

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/harriet-beecher-stowe

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Press Networks

Last Updated

June 26, 2023

Original Publicised Date

November 12, 2009