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Harriet Beecher StoweAmerican abolitionist and writer
Date of Birth: 04.06.1811
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Marriage and Family
- Writing Career and 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'
- Later Life and Legacy
Biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Early Life and EducationHarriet Elizabeth Beecher-Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut. She was the seventh of thirteen children. Her father, Lyman Beecher, was a well-known theologian and preacher, while her mother, Roxana Foote, was a devout woman who passed away when Harriet was just five years old. Harriet's sister, Catherine Beecher, became a renowned educator and author, while her seven brothers, including Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, and Edward Beecher, became ministers. Harriet attended a girls' seminary opened by her sister Catherine, where she received a traditionally "masculine" classical education, including the study of languages and mathematics. Among her classmates was Sarah P. Willis, who later wrote under the pseudonym Fanny Fern.
Marriage and Family
When Harriet turned 21, she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to be near her father, who had become the head of Lane Theological Seminary. There, she became a member of the literary salon and social club called the "Semi-Colon Club," which included the Beecher sisters, writer Caroline Lee Hentz, politician and lawyer Salmon P. Chase, and physician Emily Blackwell, among others. It was at this club that Harriet met widower Calvin Ellis Stowe, a professor at the seminary. They got married on January 6, 1836. Harriet's husband strongly criticized the institution of slavery, and the Stowe family supported the Underground Railroad, providing temporary shelter for escaped slaves in their home. They had seven children, including twin daughters.
Writing Career and 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'
In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, making it illegal to assist escaped slaves. At this time, Harriet and her family moved to a house on the campus of Bowdoin College, where her husband began teaching. On March 9, 1850, she wrote to Gamaliel Bailey, the editor of the "National Era" magazine, announcing her plans to write a story about the issue of slavery. In June 1851, when Harriet was already 40 years old, the "National Era" published "Uncle Tom's Cabin," initially under the title "The Man That Was A Thing," and later as "Life Among the Lowly." The magazine serialized excerpts of the novel from June 5, 1851, to April 1, 1852, to introduce readers to the entire book. The book edition of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was released on March 20, 1852, with an initial print run of 5,000 copies. Within a year, it sold an unprecedented 300,000 copies. The emotional portrayal of the impact of slavery on society captured the nation's attention. In just one year, 300 parents in Boston named their daughters Eva, in honor of one of the book's heroines, and a play based on the book was performed in New York.
Later Life and Legacy
Harriet Beecher-Stowe was one of the founders of the Hartford Art School, which later became part of the University of Hartford. She passed away on July 1, 1896, at the age of 85, in Connecticut, and was buried at the historic Phillips Academy cemetery in Andover, Massachusetts. When Stowe was accused of writing "Uncle Tom's Cabin" inaccurately, she responded by publishing "A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 1853, proving that her previous novel was not a work of fiction.
