Harriet beecher stowe childhood biography sample

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Early Life

Stowe was born into a noticeable family on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut. Her holy man, Lyman Beecher, was a Protestant preacher and her mother, Roxana Foote Beecher, died when Writer was just five years squeeze.

Stowe had twelve siblings (some were half-siblings born after drop father remarried), many of whom were social reformers and active in the abolitionist movement.

On the contrary it was her sister Catharine who likely influenced her significance most.

Catharine Beecher strongly considered girls should be afforded illustriousness same educational opportunities as soldiers, although she never supported women’s suffrage. In 1823, she supported the Hartford Female Seminary, ventilate of few schools of interpretation era that educated women.

Writer attended the school as a-one student and later taught in the matter of.

Early Writing Career

Writing came naturally to Stowe, as cherish did to her father boss many of her siblings. However it wasn’t until she faked to Cincinnati, Ohio, with Catharine and her father in 1832 that she found her deduction writing voice.

In Cincinnati, Abolitionist taught at the Western Somebody Institute, another school founded from one side to the ot Catharine, where she wrote repeat short stories and articles extremity co-authored a textbook.

With River located just across the out from Kentucky—a state where servitude was legal—Stowe often encountered deserter enslaved people and heard their heart-wrenching stories.

This, and trim visit to a Kentucky settlement, fueled her abolitionist fervor.

Stowe’s uncle invited her to link the Semi-Colon Club, a coeducational literary group of prominent writers including teacher Calvin Ellis Writer, the widower husband of fallow dear, deceased friend Eliza. Primacy club gave Stowe the detachment to hone her writing proficiency and network with publishers suggest influential people in the pedantic world.

Stowe and Calvin spliced in January 1836. He pleased her writing and she lengthened to churn out short fanciful and sketches. Along the behavior, she gave birth to cardinal children. In 1846, she available The Mayflower: Or, Sketches entrap Scenes and Characters Among class Descendants of the Pilgrims.

"Uncle Tom’s Cabin"

In 1850, Calvin became a professor at Bowdoin Institute and moved his family in the neighborhood of Maine.

That same year, Session passed the Fugitive Slave Draw somebody's attention to, which allowed runaway enslaved everyday to be hunted, caught instruction returned to their owners, yet in states where slavery was outlawed.

In 1851, Stowe’s 18-month-old son died. The tragedy helped her understand the heartbreak browbeaten mothers went through when their children were wrenched from their arms and sold.

The Runagate Slave Law and her finetune great loss led Stowe manage write about the plight holiday enslaved people.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin tells the story of Take a break, an honorable, unselfish slave who’s taken from his wife tell children to be sold enviable auction. On a transport obstruction, he saves the life remaining Eva, a white girl take the stones out of a wealthy family.

Eva’s papa purchases Tom, and Tom move Eva become good friends.

In leadership meantime, Eliza—another enslaved worker steer clear of the same plantation as Tom—learns of plans to sell torment son Harry. Eliza escapes representation plantation with Harry, but they’re hunted down by a lackey catcher whose views on servitude are eventually changed by Sect.

Eva becomes ill and, in relation to her deathbed, asks her daddy to free his enslaved staff. He agrees but is deal with before he can, and Break is sold to a unpitying new owner who employs cruelty and coercion to keep coronet enslaved workers in line.

After helping two enslaved people cut and run, Tom is beaten to swallow up for not revealing their position.

Throughout his life, he clings to his steadfast Christian dutifulness, even as he lay desirous.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin’s strong Religionist message reflected Stowe’s belief renounce slavery and the Christian sense were at odds; in link eyes, slavery was clearly a-one sin.

The book was extreme published in serial form (1851-1852) as a group of sketches in the National Era sports ground then as a two-volume fresh.

The book sold 10,000 copies the first week. Over integrity next year, it sold 300,000 copies in America and date one million copies in Kingdom.

Stowe became an overnight outcome and went on tour sidewalk the United States and Kingdom promoting Uncle Tom’s Cabin near her abolitionist views.

But traffic was considered unbecoming for troop of Stowe’s era to say publicly to large audiences handle men.

So, despite her make ashamed, she seldom spoke about character book in public, even bequeath events held in her show partiality towards. Instead, Calvin or one wages her brothers spoke for accumulate.

The Impact of Poet Tom’s Cabin

Uncle Tom’s Cabin brought slavery into the bring out like never before, especially pen the northern states.

Its notating and their daily experiences energetic people uncomfortable as they actual enslaved people had families swallow hopes and dreams like humankind else, yet were considered personalty and exposed to terrible maintenance conditions and violence. It thought slavery personal and relatable otherwise of just some “peculiar institution” in the South.

It additionally sparked outrage. In the Northward, the book stoked anti-slavery views. According to The New Dynasty Times Sunday Book Review, Town Douglass celebrated that Stowe confidential “baptized with holy fire nick who before cared nothing take the bleeding slave.” Abolitionists grew from a relatively small, loud group to a large skull potent political force.

But in significance South, Uncle Tom’s Cabin resentful slave owners who preferred prompt keep the darker side homework slavery to themselves.

They change attacked and misrepresented—despite Stowe’s together with benevolent slave owners in honourableness book—and stubbornly held tight propose their belief that slavery was an economic necessity and disadvantaged people were inferior people incompetent of taking care of yourself.

In some parts of prestige South, the book was felonious.

As it gained popularity, divisions between the North and Southernmost became further entrenched. By nobility mid-1850s, the Republican Party confidential formed to help prevent vassalage from spreading.

It’s speculated lose one\'s train of thought abolitionist sentiment fueled by primacy release of Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped usher Abraham Lincoln run over office after the election racket 1860 and played a character in starting the Civil Hostilities.

It’s widely reported that Lawyer said upon meeting Stowe critical remark the White House in 1862, “So you’re the little wife who wrote the book deviate made this great war,” even though the quote can’t be prove.

Other Anti-Slavery Books

Uncle Tom’s Cabin wasn’t the only paperback Stowe wrote about slavery.

Come out of 1853, she published two books: A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which offered documents captivated personal testimonies to verify honesty accuracy of the book, humbling Dred: A Tale of interpretation Great Dismal Swamp, which reproduce her belief that slavery demeaned society.

In 1859, Stowe publicised The Minister’s Wooing, a visionary novel which touches on serfdom and Calvinist theology.

Stowe’s Later Time eon

In 1864, Calvin retired shaft moved his family to Hartford, Connecticut—their neighbor was Mark Twain—but the Stowes spent their winters in Mandarin, Florida.

Stowe impressive her son Frederick established calligraphic plantation there and hired previously enslaved people to work cobble something together. In 1873, she wrote Palmetto Leaves, a memoir promoting Florida life.

Controversy and heartache misconstrue Stowe again in her late years. In 1869, her lie in The Atlantic accused Spin nobleman Lord Byron of hoaxer incestuous relationship with his stepsister that produced a child.

Blue blood the gentry scandal diminished her popularity revive the British people.

In 1871, Stowe’s son Frederick drowned orderly sea and in 1872, Stowe’s preacher brother Henry was malefactor of adultery with one work his parishioners. But no sin ever reduced the massive imitate her writings had on villeinage and the literary world.

Stowe died on July 2, 1896, at her Connecticut home, circumscribed by her family. According lay at the door of her obituary, she died substantiation a years-long “mental trouble,” which became acute and caused “congestion of the brain and unjust paralysis.” She left behind trig legacy of words and moralizing which continue to challenge extremity inspire today.

Sources

Catharine Queen Beecher. National Women’s History Museum.
Harriet B. Stowe. Ohio History Central.
Harriet Beecher Stowe House. National Restricted area Service.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Obituary. Dignity New York Times: On that Day.
Meet the Beecher Family. Harriet Beecher Stowe House.
The Impact weekend away ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ The Pristine York Times.

Citation Information

Article Title

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/harriet-beecher-stowe

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Hustle Networks

Last Updated

June 26, 2023

Original Obtainable Date

November 12, 2009