Harriet Beecher Stowe
1811-1896
Childhood
Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811 in Litchfield, CT to Lyman Beecher and Roxana Beecher. She was the sixth of eight children. When she was five, her mother, Roxana, died. A few years later, Harriet's father re-married to Harriet Porter Beecher. As a child, Harriet loved to write, and she began her "formal" education at Sarah Pierce's academy.
Adult Life
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote over 40 books, 30 of which are published. She started writing as a child and her career as an author went on for 51 years. In 1832, Harriet's family moved to Cincinnati, where her father became President of Lane Theological Seminary. There she met Calvin Stowe, a theology professor. In 1836, she and Calvin married. They later had seven children and lived in Andover, MA from 1853 to 1864.
Reform
Harriet was an abolitionist, or a person trying to end slavery. She was motivated to become an abolitionist by her faith (she was a Quaker), the death of one of her children, and the researching and writing of "The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin". She added to the abolition movement by writing the books "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Dread, A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp". Because of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", she convinced many Americans that slavery was wrong. When President Abraham Lincoln met her, he said, "So this is the little lady who made this big war."
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin
Dread, a Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp
Impact On History
Harriet Beecher Stowe played a very important part in history. In its first year alone, 300,000 copies of her novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" were sold in the U.S., making it the second most popular book next to the Bible. This means that her anti-slavery message was read 300,000 times.