Harriet Beecher Stowe Biography

Harriet Beecher Stowe Biography

Learn about the biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe, woman who wrote about the horrors of slavery before the Civil War

Biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe

Where did Harriet Beecher Stowe grow up?

On June 14, 1811, Harriet was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. She was raised in a large household that included three sisters and five brothers. When Harriet was just five years old, her mother passed away from TB. Lyman, her father, was a clergyman who aspired for all of his boys to follow in his footsteps.

As a young child, Harriet adored reading. The Arabian Nights was one of her favorites. Her older sister Catharine worked at the Hartford Female Seminary, where she attended classes. Harriet eventually started working as a teacher there as well.

Moving to Ohio and Getting Married

Harriet and her family relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1832, where Harriet’s father took the helm of Lane Theological Seminary. Harriet started writing professionally after obtaining a second teaching position.

Eliza and Calvin Stowe and Harriet grew close. Eliza became one of her closest friends before falling ill and passing away. Harriet and Calvin fell in love after Eliza passed away, getting married in 1836. Together, they eventually had seven children, four boys and three girls.

Learning About Slavery

Harriet had limited exposure to or understanding of the existence of slavery in the Southern region of the United States throughout her childhood in Connecticut. Yet, Kentucky, where slavery was permitted, was just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. Harriet started to witness personally the appalling treatment of the slaves. She was increasingly appalled as she learnt more.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Harriet started penning a tale about slavery in 1851. She wished to aid Northerners in a deeper comprehension of the realities of slavery. At first, a new chapter of the story appeared every week in a publication called the National Era. With the series’ enormous popularity, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a complete book, was released in 1852.

The Story

A kind-hearted slave named Tom was the subject of the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Tom is traded around a bit before being purchased by Simon Legree, the owner of a plantation. Simon Legree is a wicked person who enjoys beating slaves. Simon becomes enraged more as a result of Tom’s consideration for his fellow slave. After two captive ladies manage to escape, Simon makes Tom tell him where they went. Simon eventually beats Tom to death after he refuses.

Reaction

The book achieved widespread best-seller status. It was well-liked not only in the US but also internationally. Many in the North who had not previously given slavery much thought started to realize how abhorrent it was. As a result of reading the book, numerous individuals joined the abolitionist cause. They intended to make slavery illegal across the nation.

The American Civil War

Uncle Tom’s Cabin undoubtedly helped Abraham Lincoln win the election by enlightening readers about the horrors of slavery, despite the fact that the Civil War had many other factors and causes. That was unquestionably a contributing factor to the Civil War.

Facts About Harriet Beecher Stowe

• In 1862, Harriet and President Lincoln had a meeting. “So this is the small lady who started this tremendous war,” Lincoln said after meeting her.
• Harriet conducted her own research for Uncle Tom’s Cabin by visiting a plantation that employed slaves. She also talked with former slaves to get their confirmation that the events she described were true to life.
• Harriet recorded the actual events that took place and on which her fiction was based in a book titled A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin when Southerners complained that the account was false.
• The word “Uncle Tom” has evolved into a pejorative term for someone who “sells out” to their own people in order to further their own interests. This is not at all how the Uncle Tom in the novel is. In many ways, he is a hero. Yet, the tale of Uncle Tom was misrepresented in plays and films to the point where the term “Uncle Tom” was derogatory.

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