Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896)
Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
About the Author
Harriet Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, one of nine children of the distinguished Congregational minister and stern Calvinist, Lyman Beecher. Of her six brothers, five became ministers, one of whom, Henry Ward Beecher, was considered the finest pulpit orator of his day. In 1832 Harriet show more Beecher went with her family to Cincinnati, Ohio. There she taught in her sister's school and began publishing sketches and stories. In 1836 she married the Reverend Calvin E. Stowe, one of her father's assistants at the Lane Theological Seminary and a strong antislavery advocate. They lived in Cincinnati for 18 years, and six of her children were born there. The Stowes moved to Brunswick, Maine, in 1850, when Calvin Stowe became a professor at Bowdoin College. Long active in abolition causes and knowledgeable about the atrocities of slavery both from her reading and her years in Cincinnati, with its close proximity to the South, Stowe was finally impelled to take action with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. By her own account, the idea of Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) first came to her in a vision while she was sitting in church. Returning home, she sat down and wrote out the scene describing the death of Uncle Tom and was so inspired that she continued to write on scraps of grocer's brown paper after her own supply of writing paper gave out. She then wrote the book's earlier chapters. Serialized first in the National Era (1851--52), an important abolitionist journal with national circulation, Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in book form in March 1852. It was an immediate international bestseller; 10,000 copies were sold in less than a week, 300,000 within a year, and 3 million before the start of the Civil War. Family legend tells of President Abraham Lincoln (see Vol. 3) saying to Stowe when he met her in 1862: "So this is the little lady who made this big war?" Whether he did say it or not, we will never know, since Stowe left no written record of her interview with the president. But he would have been justified in saying it. Certainly, no other single book, apart from the Bible, has ever had any greater social impact on the United States, and for many years its enormous historical interest prevented many from seeing the book's genuine, if not always consistent, literary merit. The fame of the novel has also unfortunately overshadowed the fiction that Stowe wrote about her native New England: The Minister's Wooing (1859), Oldtown Folks (1869), Poganuc People (1878), and The Pearl of Orr's Island (1862), the novel that, according to Sarah Orne Jewett, began the local-color movement in New England. Here Stowe was writing about the world and its people closest and dearest to her, recording their customs, their legends, and their speech. As she said of one of these novels, "It is more to me than a story. It is my resume of the whole spirit and body of New England." (Bowker Author Biography) Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) remains one of the most influential writers in American history. Following the publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" she became an instant celebrity, speaking against slavery in the United States & Europe. (Publisher Provided) show less
Image credit: National Portrait Gallery
Works by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe: Three Novels: Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Minister's Wooing, Oldtown Folks (1982) 417 copies, 1 review
A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin: Presenting the Original Facts and Documents Upon Which the Story Is Founded (1853) 179 copies, 3 reviews
Harriet Beecher Stowe: Compiled from Her Letters and Journals by Her Son Charles Edward Stowe (1889) 43 copies, 1 review
Illustrated Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Emancipation Proclamation: With 120 Illustrations (2020) 16 copies
The Mayflower, or, Sketches of scenes and characters among the descendants of the pilgrims (Hurst's books for girls) (2016) 12 copies
Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Complete Novels (The Greatest Writers of All Time Book 26) (2016) 9 copies
Uncle Sam's Emancipation: Earthly Care a Heavenly Discipline, and Other Tales and Sketches (The Black Heritage Library C (1977) 4 copies
Religious Poems 3 copies
Oldtown folks and Sam Lawson's Oldtown fireside stories, (The writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe) (1898) 3 copies
Uncle Tom's Cabin for Children [Adapted from the Work of H.B. Stowe] (2013) — Orginal novel — 3 copies
Onkel Toms Hütte. Weltberühmte Jugendbücher für Jugendliche und Erwachsene. Ill. von Sani. (1975) 2 copies
"The Education of Freedmen, part 2" 2 copies
Religious Studies Sketches and Poems: The Writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe Volume XV (2018) 2 copies
Building of Uncle Tom's Cabin, The 2 copies
Uncle Tom's cabin : or, Life among the lowly. With a sketch of the life of Josiah Henson, generally known as (1880) 2 copies
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Barnes & Noble classics) by introduction and notes by Amanda Claybaugh Harriet Beecher Stowe (2012-12-17) (1821) 2 copies
Túp Lều Bác Tom 2 copies
"The Education of Freedmen, part 1" 2 copies
Uncle Tom's Cabin Art-type Edition 2 copies
Still, Still With Thee 2 copies
"Mr. And Mrs. Woodbridge" 2 copies
A cabana do pai Tomás v.2 2 copies
Our Charlie, and what to do with him 2 copies
A cabana do pai Tomás v.1 2 copies
Uncle Tom's Cabin and The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Halcyon Classics) (2010) 1 copy
A cabana do pai Tomás 1 copy
De profeet in de wildernis, of De vloek der slavernij : toneelen uit 't slavenleven in Noord-Amerika 1 copy
Onkel Toms stuga I 1 copy
Onkel Toms stuga II 1 copy
Fabian Essays in Socialism: By G. Bernard Shaw Edited By G. Bernard Shaw (Classic Reprint) (2012) 1 copy
The chimney-corner 1 copy
Footsteps of the Master 1 copy
A New England Sketch 1 copy
Uncle Tom’s Cabin Volume II 1 copy
Uncle Tom’s Cabin Volume I 1 copy
The Ghost in the Mill 1 copy
La cabaña del Tío Tom 1 copy
A CABANA DO PAI TOMÁS 1 copy
Tales from Real Life 1 copy
The Fat Pirate 1 copy
Lady Byron Vindicated: A History Of The Byron Controversy, From Its Beginning In 1816 To The Present Time (2007) 1 copy
Knocking, Knocking 1 copy
Mayflower 1 copy
“The Seamstress” 1 copy
Pikku haltijoita 1 copy
Antología Harriet Beecher Stowe: La cabaña del Tío Tom (con notas) (Spanish Edition) (2017) 1 copy, 1 review
How to Live On Christ 1 copy
Poganuc People 1 copy
Household Papers And Stories 1 copy
My Wife And I 1 copy
House And Home Papers 1 copy
Our Famous Women: Comprising the Lives and Deeds of American Women Who Have Distinguished Themselves 1 copy
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Brusnwick Edition (1892) 1 copy
Stowe Novels 1 copy
Dred Scott 1 copy
The minister's wedding 1 copy
The Writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe - Riverside Edition - Volume VI: The Pearl of Orr's Island (1896) 1 copy
Christmas or The Good Fairy 1 copy
Ohel Tom 1 copy
Uncle Ton's Cabin 1 copy
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Vol. I 1 copy
Túp lều bác Tôm 1 copy
Uncle Toms cabin, 1 copy
Chaloupka strýčka Toma 1 copy
Associated Works
Choice Cuts: A Savory Selection of Food Writing from Around the World and Throughout History (2002) — Contributor — 367 copies, 2 reviews
The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume 1 (1990) — Contributor, some editions — 252 copies, 1 review
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce (2010) — Contributor — 185 copies, 4 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories (1995) — Contributor — 174 copies, 4 reviews
The Lincoln Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Legacy from 1860 to Now (2008) — Contributor — 170 copies, 1 review
American Antislavery Writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation (2012) — Contributor — 145 copies
Novel History: Historians and Novelists Confront America's Past and Each Other (2001) — Contributor — 139 copies, 1 review
The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2000) — Contributor — 99 copies, 2 reviews
The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Concise Edition (2003) — Contributor — 72 copies, 1 review
Twelve Years a Slave / Life of Frederick Douglass / Uncle Tom's Cabin / Life of Josiah Henson / Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl / Up From Slavery (2014) — Contributor — 67 copies
The Signet Classic Book of Contemporary American Short Stories (1985) — Contributor — 47 copies, 1 review
The Lifted Veil: The Book of Fantastic Literature by Women 1800-World War II (1806) — Contributor — 45 copies
Weird Women: Volume 2: 1840-1925: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers (2021) — Contributor — 38 copies
A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens and Others (2014) — Contributor — 27 copies, 2 reviews
American Literature: The Makers and the Making (In Two Volumes) (1973) — Contributor, some editions — 24 copies
Truth Stranger than Fiction: Father Henson's Story of His Own Life (1876) — Introduction; Foreword, some editions — 16 copies, 1 review
Slave Narrative (Six Pack 1)- Uncle Tom's Cabin, Twelve Years A Slave, Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation, The Life of Olaudah Equiano, William H. Furness and Captain… (2015) — Contributor — 7 copies
The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories (Annotated): Volume 11 (2022) — Contributor — 3 copies
The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories (Annotated): Volume 10 (2018) — Contributor — 3 copies
The Second Christmas Megapack: 29 Modern and Classic Christmas Stories (2012) — Contributor — 3 copies
Into the Mouths of Babes: An Anthology of Children's Abolitionist Literature (2005) — Contributor — 3 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Beecher, Harriet Elizabeth
- Other names
- Crowfield, Christopher
- Birthdate
- 1811-06-14
- Date of death
- 1896-07-01
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Hartford Female Seminary, Connecticut, USA
- Occupations
- teacher
short story writer
abolitionist
novelist - Awards and honors
- The Hall of Fame for Great Americans (1910)
- Relationships
- Beecher, Lyman (father)
Beecher, Henry Ward (brother)
Beecher, Charles (brother)
Beecher, Edward (brother)
Hooker, Isabella Beecher (sister)
Beecher, Catharine Esther (sister) (show all 9)
Perkins, Frederic B. (nephew)
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins (grand-niece)
Stowe, Charles Edward (son) - Short biography
- Harriet Beecher of the remarkable Beecher clan attended the school for girls run by her sister Catharine. In 1836, she married Calvin Ellis Stowe, a professor of Biblical literature. To help support her growing family (she had 7 children), Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote short stories and ran a small school in her home. She was catapulted to fame and helped turn millions of people away from slavery with the publication of her instant bestseller Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1851. Upon meeting her in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln is alleged to have said, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!"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, and became influential in the United States and Great Britain, energizing anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. 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.
- Cause of death
- Alzheimer's disease (speculated)
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Litchfield, Connecticut, USA
- Places of residence
- Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Litchfield, Connecticut, USA
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA - Place of death
- Hartford, Connecticut, USA
- Burial location
- Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, USA
- Map Location
- USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Connecticut, USA
Members
Discussions
Oldtown Folks group read in 75 Books Challenge for 2011 (May 2011)
Reviews
This is an amazing novel which is deservedly an all time classic. It is at various times, and sometimes at the same time, moving, horrific, grippingly exciting and comically funny. Like many 19th century novels, it has what to many modern readers seems to be excessive sentimentality, though in this context, it doesn’t seem excessive to me. The narrative also places a reliance on the role of religious faith and Christian virtue in overcoming adversity that may strike many readers especially show more in Western Europe as rather dated, though I find it very moving in this context of resisting oppression and injustice especially as articulated by the title character. From the historical point of view, there are a number of significant learning points. The life of a slave depended solely on the arbitrariness of having either a kind or a cruel master; the life of a slave belonging to a kind master may appear superficially quite reasonable but if that master dies or goes into debt, the slave can be sold off to a very different kind of master. Some “superior” slaves who acted as foremen on behalf of their master could be as cruel to other slaves as the masters themselves. Finally, and perhaps, most revealingly, is that both kind and cruel masters see their slaves as animals rather than humans, the kind master indulging them as many people do their pet dogs or cats, the cruel master doing worse, but neither of them understanding that the black man or woman could feel love for their family as much as the white man and fight to prevent their being sold off separately. This e-book edition contains a postscript by the author describing the sources for her narrative incidents. A profoundly moving and human book that should be read by everyone whatever their race or nationality. show less
To truly appreciate the enormity of Harriet Beecher Stowe's opus we must keep in mind that it was written over 175 years ago by a woman who lived at a time when slavery was still an accepted albeit contentious institution in America. Weaving together several separate but interrelated storylines the plights of Stowe's fictional characters were all based on truthful accounts, often first-hand accounts, from actual slaves, slave owners, and those who crossed paths with both of them. Not an easy show more read, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is many things: a collection of harrowing survival tales encompassing love, triumph, and tragedy; an impassioned set of Abolitionist arguments; a condemnation of not only the practice of owning human beings but of the mindsets (political, social, and religious) which allowed it to flourish; and a biblical allegory with Uncle Tom's Christ-like presence underlining both the good and bad around him. Yes, Stowe's praise of her black subjects' moral attributes are at times simplistic, even patronizing; yes, some of her characters are over the top (Little Eva and Topsy come immediately to mind), and yes she does go overboard with the Methodist bible-thumping especially towards the end....but as previously stated these stories were written in a very different time by a woman determined to move an entire nation towards a new social justice. It's sad to note that 100 years later Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" would show America just how far it hadn't come. show less
Initially published in installments, from 1851 to 1852, this American classic is a work of power. Stowe herself disclaimed authorship, attributing the book to God’s hand; and, it isn’t hard to understand why. Uncle Tom’s Cabin would be a wonderful read if only because of Stowe’s excellent skill as a writer, but the true power of the story lies much deeper than literary skill. With bold passion, Stowe calls an entire nation (North and South alike) to carry it’s ways before the great show more throne of God. She urges humans to feel for the humanity of others, often breaking the “fourth wall” to challenge the reader, “Now, how would you feel if it were you?” She tries her society in the great court of God’s impending judgment, as she writes of one slave-master, “His Master’ll be sending for him, and then see how he’ll look!” Or, again from the closing sentence, “Not surer is the eternal law by which the millstone sinks in the ocean, than that stranger law by which injustice and cruelty shall bring on nations the wrath of Almighty God!” The whole of the book is an unrelenting challenge to see the world through the eyes of Heaven. And, above all else, it is a proclamation of living Gospel. If Stowe believes the world has any hope at all, she believes it is the Gospel of Christ, which she places at the very core of this book. She offers two Christ-figures, one white and one black, in the persons of young Evangeline (a play on the Greek word for “gospel”) and Uncle Tom. The score of characters who find salvation through the life, love, and death of these two figures is the point of the book, as Stowe essentially asserts that man’s only hope against the darkest evils of this world is the Gospel of Christ, received and lived by those who will fully lay down their lives for Him. As a side note, it is terribly unfortunate that “Uncle Tom” has become a derogatory label in our society, as Stowe’s Uncle Tom was the most powerful, Christlike character in the book. It is my understanding that later theatrical adaptations of Uncle Tom cast him in a different light, but to misunderstand Stowe’s Uncle Tom as a weak man is to misunderstand the Gospel of Christ. The true Uncle Tom broke racism on an incredible scale; he did not further it’s cause. show less
It has the sticky, saccharine religiosity that we associate with Harriet Beecher Stowe, but it also has one great character, Captain Kitteridge, and it was the book that legitimized Maine regionalisms for Sarah Orne Jewett.
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Statistics
- Works
- 259
- Also by
- 58
- Members
- 22,683
- Popularity
- #936
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 232
- ISBNs
- 1,323
- Languages
- 23
- Favorited
- 13
