Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Author

Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 - July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. She came from the Beecher family, a famous religious family, and is best known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), which depicts the harsh conditions for enslaved African Americans. The book reached millions as a novel and play, energizing anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South, where Stowe was depicted as out of touch, arrogant and guilty of slander. Stowe wrote 30 books, including novels, three travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters. She was influential for both her writings and her public stances and debates on social issues of the day. When Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the White House in 1862 he said, So this is the little lady who wrote the book that made the big war. In 1886, following the death of her husband, Stowe started rapidly to decline in health. By 1888, the Washington Post reported that as a result of dementia Stowe started writing Uncle Tom's Cabin over again. To her diseased mind the story was brand new, and she frequently exhausted herself with labor which she regarded as freshly created. She died in 1896 at the age of 85. Modern researchers speculate that at the end of her life Stowe was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Photographed by William R. Howell, 1870

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Abolition Abolitionist Anti-slavery Antislavery Beecher Campaigner Crusader Harriet Secession Stowe

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