Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American author and activist. She was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1811. She wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel about the cruelty of slavery. The book helped change public opinion and contributed to the start of the Civil War.

Early Life

Stowe grew up in a family that opposed slavery. Her father was a famous preacher. She became a teacher and writer. After hearing stories about the horrors of slavery, she felt she had to write about it.

Big Achievements

Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852. It sold 300,000 copies in its first year. The book showed the cruelty of slavery and moved many readers to tears. It became the best-selling novel of the 1800s and helped fuel the anti-slavery movement.

Fun Facts

• Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the entire 1800s.
• President Lincoln supposedly said to Stowe, 'So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.'
• The book was translated into over 60 languages.

Did You Know?

Stowe's novel made many people in the North oppose slavery more strongly. In the South, the book was banned and burned. Whether or not Lincoln actually made his famous comment, there is no doubt the book changed American history.