Harriet Beecher Stowe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harriet Beecher Stowe
Stowe c. 1870
Born	Harriet Elisabeth Beecher (1811-06-14)June 14, 1811 Litchfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	July 1, 1896(1896-07-01) (aged 85) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Pen name	Christopher Crowfield
Notable works	Uncle Tom's Cabin
Spouse	Calvin Ellis Stowe ​ ​ (m. 1836; died 1886)​
Children	7
Relatives	Beecher family
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Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (born June 14, 1811 – died July 1, 1896) was an American writer and a strong supporter of ending slavery. She came from the well-known Beecher family, who were very religious. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the famous novel Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852. This book showed the difficult lives of enslaved African Americans.

Her book became incredibly popular, reaching millions of readers and inspiring plays. It greatly influenced people in the American North and Great Britain, encouraging those who wanted to abolish slavery. In the Southern United States, however, the book caused a lot of anger. Stowe wrote 30 books in total, including novels, travel stories, and collections of articles. She was important not only for her writing but also for speaking out on important social issues of her time.

Harriet's Early Life and Education

Harriet Elisabeth Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, on June 14, 1811. She was the sixth of 11 children. Her father, Lyman Beecher, was a well-known preacher. Harriet's mother, Roxana, was a very religious woman who passed away when Harriet was only five years old.

Harriet's family included several notable people. Her older sister, Catharine Beecher, became an educator and writer. Her brothers, like Henry Ward Beecher, also became famous ministers and spoke out against slavery.

Harriet attended the Hartford Female Seminary, a school run by her sister Catharine. There, she received an excellent education, which was quite unusual for girls at that time. She studied subjects like classic literature, languages, and mathematics.

Moving to Cincinnati and Understanding Slavery

In 1832, when Harriet was 21, she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. She joined her father, who had become the president of Lane Theological Seminary. In Cincinnati, Harriet joined a literary club where she met many interesting people.

Cincinnati was a busy city on the Ohio River. Many people moved there, including enslaved people who had escaped and people looking for them. Harriet met several African Americans who had faced difficult times in the city. Their experiences helped her understand the struggles of enslaved people, which later influenced her writing.

Harriet was also deeply affected by important discussions about slavery at Lane Seminary in 1834. Students debated whether slavery should be allowed. These discussions, led by abolitionists like Theodore Dwight Weld, strongly convinced many that slavery was wrong. When the seminary leaders tried to stop these discussions, many students left to attend a new college, Oberlin College, where they could talk about any topic, including slavery.

At the literary club, Harriet met Reverend Calvin Ellis Stowe, a professor at the seminary. They married on January 6, 1836, and had seven children, including twin daughters.

Uncle Tom's Cabin and Its Impact

Portrait of Stowe by Alanson Fisher, 1853

In 1850, the U.S. Congress passed a new law called the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law made it even harder for enslaved people to escape to freedom, even in states where slavery was not allowed. Around this time, Harriet and her family moved to Brunswick, Maine, where her husband taught at Bowdoin College. Their home there is now a special historical landmark.

The Stowes strongly opposed slavery and supported the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people reach freedom. They even sheltered some freedom seekers in their home.

Harriet was deeply moved by the suffering of enslaved people, especially after experiencing the sadness of losing her own young son. This helped her understand the pain of families being separated by slavery. On March 9, 1850, she wrote to an anti-slavery newspaper editor, saying she felt it was time for everyone, even women and children, to speak up for freedom.

A photograph of Harriet Beecher Stowe from 1852

In June 1851, when she was 40, the first part of Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in a newspaper. It was released in weekly parts until April 1852. The full book was published on March 20, 1852. It sold an amazing 300,000 copies in less than a year!

The book's powerful story showed the terrible effects of slavery on individuals and families. It helped people in the North understand the harsh realities of slavery. It also aimed to make people in the South feel more empathy for those forced into slavery. Uncle Tom's Cabin became a huge part of the national discussion about slavery and greatly increased support for its abolition. In the South, however, many people criticized Stowe, saying she didn't truly understand their way of life.

After the American Civil War began, Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., on November 25, 1862. A famous story says Lincoln greeted her by saying, "so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war." While the exact words are debated, it shows how important her book was seen to be.

Later Writing and Advocacy

In 1857, Harriet Beecher Stowe was recognized as one of the founders of The Atlantic magazine, a well-known publication. She wrote several articles and short stories for the magazine.

In 1868, Stowe became one of the first editors for Hearth and Home magazine, which was a new type of publication for women. She also spoke out for expanding the rights of married women. In 1869, she argued that married women had very few legal rights. She explained that a married woman could not make contracts or own property. Whatever she inherited or earned automatically became her husband's property. Stowe believed that in many ways, the legal position of a married woman was similar to that of people who were enslaved, because they had no legal control over their own lives or possessions.

Harriet's Later Years

Stowe bought property in Mandarin, Florida, where she spent her winters. She wrote a book called Palmetto Leaves in 1873, describing Florida and encouraging people to visit and invest there. She also helped establish a church and a school in Mandarin, which was an integrated school for children and adults, meaning it welcomed students of all races. This was very progressive for the time.

After her husband, Calvin Stowe, passed away in 1886, Harriet's health began to decline. By 1888, she was suffering from memory loss, which modern researchers believe may have been Alzheimer's disease. She would sometimes imagine she was writing Uncle Tom's Cabin all over again, writing passages from memory.

Her neighbor, the famous author Mark Twain, remembered her later years. He described her as a "pathetic figure" who would wander around. Sometimes she would surprise people with a playful shout, and other times she would play the piano and sing old, sad songs beautifully.

Harriet Beecher Stowe's grave

Harriet Beecher Stowe passed away on July 1, 1896, in Hartford, Connecticut, just after her 85th birthday. She is buried in the historic cemetery at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, alongside her husband and their son Henry Ellis.

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Legacy

A stereoscope image of Dr. Stowe and Harriet Beecher Stowe at their house in Mandarin, Florida

Harriet Beecher Stowe left a lasting impact, and many places are dedicated to her memory. These landmarks are in states like Ohio, Florida, Maine, and Connecticut, marking different periods of her life.

Important Landmarks

Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio

This was the home of her father, Lyman Beecher, on the old campus of Lane Seminary. Harriet lived here before she got married. Today, it is a historical site open to the public. It focuses on Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Lane Seminary, and the Underground Railroad, also sharing African-American history.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick, Maine

This is where Stowe lived when she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. Her husband taught at Bowdoin College nearby. She often invited students and friends to read and discuss chapters of her book before they were published. In 2001, Bowdoin College bought and restored the house, and it is now open to visitors.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Hartford, Connecticut

Stowe lived in this house for the last 23 years of her life, right next door to her fellow author, Mark Twain. This cottage-style house, about 5,000 square feet, still contains many of Stowe's original belongings. It has a research library with letters and documents from the Beecher family. The house is open to the public for tours.

Mandarin, Florida, Memorial

In the 1870s and 1880s, Stowe and her family spent winters in Mandarin, Florida. She helped establish a church and an integrated school there in 1870, which was very forward-thinking for the time. A marker commemorating the Stowe family is located across from where their cottage once stood, at the site of a church where her husband served as a minister.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site in Dresden, Ontario

This site is part of the restored Dawn Settlement, a community for freed enslaved people founded in the 1830s. Reverend Josiah Henson, who lived in this community, helped inspire Stowe's character of Uncle Tom. The site includes a museum.

Honors and Recognition

A bust of Harriet Beecher Stowe by Brenda Putnam at the Hall of Fame for Great Americans

• In 1986, Stowe was recognized for her achievements and inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
• On June 13, 2007, the United States Postal Service released a special postage stamp in her honor.
• Harris–Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri, is partly named after her.

Selected Works by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote many books throughout her life. Here are some of her most well-known works:

Novels

• Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
• Dred, A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp (1856)
• The Minister's Wooing (1859)
• Oldtown Folks (1869)
• My Wife and I (1871)

Non-fiction

• A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin (1853)
• Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands (1854)
• The American Woman's Home (1869, co-authored with Catharine Beecher)
• Palmetto Leaves (1873)

Harriet Beecher Stowe Quotes

• "Most mothers are instinctive philosophers."
• "The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone."
• "To do common things perfectly is far better worth our endeavor than to do uncommon things respectably."
• "Any mind that is capable of a real sorrow is capable of good."
• "When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you could n't hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that 's just the place and time that the tide 'll turn."
• "Women are the real architects of society."

Images for kids

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  The first edition title page of Uncle Tom's Cabin

See also

In Spanish: Harriet Beecher Stowe para niños

• Origins of the American Civil War