Published was Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Within three months, the novel sold 300,000 copies and gained such widespread readership that when Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, he reportedly remarked, “So this is the little lady who made this big war.”
In 1811, Stowe was born as the seventh child of the prominent Congregationalist minister Lyman Beecher. After studying at private schools in Connecticut, she commenced teaching in Hartford from 1827 until 1832, when her father relocated to Cincinnati. She moved with him and continued her teaching career while also writing stories and essays. In 1836, she married Calvin Ellis Stowe, and together they had seven children. Her first book, Mayflower, was published in 1843.
During her time in Cincinnati, Stowe met fugitive slaves and became involved with the Underground Railroad. This experience inspired her to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin in response to the recent tightening of fugitive slave laws.
The impact of the book on the American public’s perception of slavery was significant. Additionally, it solidified Stowe’s reputation as a notable woman of letters.
In 1853, she traveled to England, where she was celebrated as a literary figure. She became an original contributor to The Atlantic, alongside Ralph Waldo Emerson, with the magazine launching in November 1857. When Lincoln announced the end of slavery in 1863, she celebrated by dancing in the streets. Stowe continued her writing endeavors throughout her life and passed away in 1896.
