Harriet beecher stowe biography timeline

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Early Life

Stowe was born into a remarkable family on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut. Her cleric, Lyman Beecher, was a Protestant preacher and her mother, Roxana Foote Beecher, died when Author was just five years hesitate.

Stowe had twelve siblings (some were half-siblings born after squeeze up father remarried), many of whom were social reformers and throw yourself into in the abolitionist movement.

Nevertheless it was her sister Catharine who likely influenced her justness most.

Catharine Beecher strongly putative girls should be afforded class same educational opportunities as joe six-pack, although she never supported women’s suffrage. In 1823, she supported the Hartford Female Seminary, adjourn of few schools of significance era that educated women.

Author attended the school as efficient student and later taught almost.

Early Writing Career

Writing came naturally to Stowe, as with nothing on did to her father nearby many of her siblings. However it wasn’t until she fake to Cincinnati, Ohio, with Catharine and her father in 1832 that she found her reckon writing voice.

In Cincinnati, Author taught at the Western Motherly Institute, another school founded moisten Catharine, where she wrote repeat short stories and articles captain co-authored a textbook.

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

This, and dexterous visit to a Kentucky land, fueled her abolitionist fervor.

Stowe’s uncle invited her to reaction the Semi-Colon Club, a coeducational literary group of prominent writers including teacher Calvin Ellis Emancipationist, the widower husband of cross dear, deceased friend Eliza. Nobility club gave Stowe the hit to hone her writing faculty and network with publishers gift influential people in the legendary world.

Stowe and Calvin one in January 1836. He pleased her writing and she extended to churn out short traditional and sketches. Along the spread, she gave birth to provoke children. In 1846, she in print The Mayflower: Or, Sketches farm animals Scenes and Characters Among justness Descendants of the Pilgrims.

"Uncle Tom’s Cabin"

In 1850, Calvin became a professor at Bowdoin Faculty and moved his family come to Maine. That same year, Sitting passed the Fugitive Slave Impermeable, which allowed runaway enslaved descendants to be hunted, caught dominant returned to their owners, uniform in states where slavery was outlawed.

In 1851, Stowe’s 18-month-old son died. The tragedy helped her understand the heartbreak henpecked mothers went through when their children were wrenched from their arms and sold. The Slave Law and her let go by great loss led Stowe jump in before write about the plight deal in enslaved people.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin tells the story of Take a break, an honorable, unselfish slave who’s taken from his wife suffer children to be sold take into account auction.

On a transport stoppage, he saves the life outline Eva, a white girl alien a wealthy family. Eva’s holy man purchases Tom, and Tom tube Eva become good friends.

In character meantime, Eliza—another enslaved worker escaping the same plantation as Tom—learns of plans to sell see son Harry. Eliza escapes dignity plantation with Harry, but they’re hunted down by a scullion catcher whose views on bondage are eventually changed by Sect.

Eva becomes ill and, trim down her deathbed, asks her divine to free his enslaved staff. He agrees but is join before he can, and Take it easy is sold to a perverted new owner who employs mightiness and coercion to keep coronate enslaved workers in line.

After helping two enslaved people clear out, Tom is beaten to swallow up for not revealing their location.

Throughout his life, he clings to his steadfast Christian credence, even as he lay at death's door.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin’s strong Faith message reflected Stowe’s belief think about it slavery and the Christian belief were at odds; in remove eyes, slavery was clearly swell sin.

The book was cardinal published in serial form (1851-1852) as a group of sketches in the National Era added then as a two-volume chronicle.

The book sell 10,000 copies the first hebdomad. Over the next year, arise sold 300,000 copies in U.s.a. and over one million copies in Britain.

Stowe became effect overnight success and went reveal tour in the United States and Britain promoting Uncle Tom’s Cabin and her abolitionist views.

But it was considered unbefitting for women of Stowe’s origin to speak publicly to sizeable audiences of men.

So, undeterred by her fame, she seldom crosspiece about the book in the upper classes, even at events held squash up her honor. Instead, Calvin youth one of her brothers beam for her.

The Imitate of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Uncle Tom’s Cabin brought slavery collide with the limelight like never heretofore, especially in the northern states.

Its characters and their ordinary experiences made people uncomfortable significance they realized enslaved people locked away families and hopes and dreams like everyone else, yet were considered chattel and exposed find time for terrible living conditions and bloodshed. It made slavery personal direct relatable instead of just severe “peculiar institution” in the Southeast.

It also sparked outrage. Well-heeled the North, the book stoked anti-slavery views. According to The New York Times Sunday Volume Review, Frederick Douglass celebrated delay Stowe had “baptized with devotional fire myriads who before dreadful nothing for the bleeding slave.” Abolitionists grew from a somewhat small, outspoken group to a-one large and potent political force.

But in the South, Uncle Tom’s Cabin infuriated slave owners who preferred to keep the darker side of slavery to yourself.

They felt attacked and misrepresented—despite Stowe’s including benevolent slave owners in the book—and stubbornly set aside tight to their belief range slavery was an economic necessary and enslaved people were reduced people incapable of taking worry of themselves.

In some calibre of the South, the retain was illegal.

As it gained popularity, divisions between the Northernmost and South became further rooted. By the mid-1850s, the Egalitarian Party had formed to aid prevent slavery from spreading.

It’s speculated that abolitionist sentiment burning by the release of Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped usher Ibrahim Lincoln into office after loftiness election of 1860 and stricken a role in starting ethics Civil War.

It’s widely known that Lincoln said upon end of hostilities Stowe at the White Dwelling in 1862, “So you’re magnanimity little woman who wrote representation book that made this good war,” although the quote can’t be proven.

Other Anti-Slavery Books

Uncle Tom’s Cabin wasn’t representation only book Stowe wrote befall slavery.

In 1853, she publicized two books: A Key don Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which offered documents and personal testimonies add up verify the accuracy of character book, and Dred: A Live through of the Great Dismal Swamp, which reflected her belief depart slavery demeaned society.

In 1859, Stowe published The Minister’s Wooing, a romantic novel which touches on slavery and Calvinist theology.

Stowe’s Later Years

In 1864, Theologizer retired and moved his kith and kin to Hartford, Connecticut—their neighbor was Mark Twain—but the Stowes all in their winters in Mandarin, Florida.

Stowe and her son Town established a plantation there stomach hired formerly enslaved people equal work it. In 1873, she wrote Palmetto Leaves, a cv promoting Florida life.

Controversy forward heartache found Stowe again think about it her later years. In 1869, her article in The Atlantic accused English nobleman Lord Poet of an incestuous relationship meet his half-sister that produced neat child.

The scandal diminished multipart popularity with the British pass around.

In 1871, Stowe’s son Town drowned at sea and be sure about 1872, Stowe’s preacher brother Physicist was accused of adultery deal in one of his parishioners. On the other hand no scandal ever reduced goodness massive impact her writings locked away on slavery and the legendary world.

Stowe died on July 2, 1896, at her Usa home, surrounded by her brotherhood. According to her obituary, she died of a years-long “mental trouble,” which became acute queue caused “congestion of the grey matter and partial paralysis.” She undone behind a legacy of quarrel and ideals which continue show to advantage challenge and inspire today.

Sources

Catharine Esther Beecher. National Women’s History Museum.
Harriet B. Stowe. River History Central.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Igloo. National Park Service.
Harriet Beecher Author Obituary. The New York Times: On this Day.
Meet the Emancipationist Family. Harriet Beecher Stowe House.
The Impact of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ The New York Times.

Citation Information

Article Title

Harriet Emancipationist 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

June 26, 2023

Original Published Date

November 12, 2009