Harriet Beecher Stowe was born around 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut. From the young age of 5, she proved to be a great writer, winning her school's essay contest. This naturally led to her pursuit of writing and drawing. She partook in friendly debates and continued writing essays for many hours a day during her time at Hartford Female Seminary, where she became a teacher after studying as a student there.
Potrait of Harriet Beecher Stowe in her younger years, Wikipedia Commons, 2/20/25
The critical moment in her life was when her son died, which greatly saddened her. From this devastating experience, Stowe realized the cruelty of the system of slavery, where enslaved parents were separated from their children, even though she was a white woman. This anger was further fueled after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, which made Northerners capture and send back runaway slaves. As a result, Stowe published her biggest and most famous writing ever, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which highlighted the cruelty and evils behind slavery. This piece proved to be influential towards the Northerners of America, encouraging them to defy the orders of the Fugitive Slave Act and with over 300k copies of her book sold, increased the popularity of the idea to abolish slavery.
Cover of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Boston Public Library, 02/20/25
Harriet Beecher Stowe continued the chase to end slavery, often utilizing her newfound fame and status by touring internationally and selling even more books. She became one of the most famous authors during the Civil War, receiving the recognition of President Abraham Lincoln, who said "So you're the woman who wrote the book that started this great war." after meeting her. Even being as passionate as she was, she never fully demonized all Southerners, nor did she glorify all Northerners, believing no one was all bad, rather it's the circumstances that shape a person. After the Civil War and the passage of the 14th amendment, which officially abolished slavery, she and her family moved back to Connecticut, where she happily lived until she died in 1896 at the age of 85.
