Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher-Stowe, born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1811, was a significant social activist and author, best known for her influential work "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Raised in an artistic family, Harriet's mother, Roxanna Foote, was a novel-reading woman from an Episcopalian and cosmopolitan family, while her father, Lyman Beecher, was a well-respected Evangelical preacher who played a crucial role in shaping the social direction of the pre-Civil War era United States. Following her mother's death when she was five, Harriet's older sister, Catherine Beecher, became the most influential female voice in her life, instilling in her the values that would inspire her to write novels advocating for social and cultural change.

Harriet Beecher-Stowe's most famous work, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," was a powerful critique of slavery's cruelty, published in 1852. The novel and its subsequent play reached millions, making the political issues surrounding slavery tangible to many in the American North. The book's impact was significant, inspiring anti-slavery forces and causing controversy in the South. A quote commonly attributed to Abraham Lincoln, though its accuracy is disputed, illustrates the book's influence: "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!" Harriet Beecher-Stowe's writing brought the political issues surrounding slavery to the forefront, shaping public opinion and inspiring social change.