Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (1811 - 1898) was an abolitionist and author, distinguished by her formative anti-slavery novel published in 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly. Immediately after its release, the vivid account of the lives of slaves and their inhumane treatment by slave owners had a profound impact on Americans' public opinion and is widely credited with fueling the abolitionist movement. Its publication materially contributed to the tensions leading up to the American Civil War.
We feature many of Stowe's short stories with themes involving Puritanism, New England family traditions and the importance of community, such as Deacon Pitkin's Farm, The First Christmas of New England, and How We Kept Thanksgiving at Oldtown. We encourage you to read Stowe's historic essay, Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sybil, a remarkable account of her encounter with the African-American activist, published in The Atlantic Monthly, April 1863.
We feature Stowe's work in our collections of Civil War Stories, African American Library, and 25 Great American Novels.
