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Family, Early Life And Education

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811 to Lyman Beecher and
Roxanna Beecher she had ten siblings and was the sixth of the eleven children. Her
mother died when Harriet was just five years old, though her children reflected her in
many ways Stowe started writing, drawing, and painting at an early age.
Lyman Beechers second wife, Harriet Porter Beecher, whom he married in 1800,
had three children of her own that added on to the large family. Overall they were a very
successful family; all seven sons became ministers (a profession that was very respected
at the time), one daughter pioneered education for women, while another was a founder
of the National Womens Suffrage Association.
From a young age, Harriet learned to speak and write eloquently she began
making persuasive arguments at the dinner table when she was just a child. Her family
took in boarders from Tapping Reeves law school, and Lyman Beecher (Harriets father)
taught religion at Sarah Pierces Litchfield Female Academy. He passed on his debating
techniques and talents to not only his children, but his students as well.
Harriet lived in Litchfield, Connecticut for the first few years of her life and
began her formal education at Sarah Pierces Academy. This institution was one the first
ones to encourage girls to study academic subjects ad not only ornamental arts and
homemaking. In 1824, Harriet began attending the Hartford Female Academy, where she
would later teach. She was really able to nurture her talents and grow academically
during these years, where she spent many hours composing essays.
Later on, she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she began her teaching career.
Her father became the President of a theological seminary a religious institution.

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Eventually, Harriet joined the Literary Society, where she met Professor Calvin
Ellis Stowe. He was married, but his wife passed away only two years after he met
Harriet, and so he married Harriet in 1836. They raised a large family of seven children
the twins Eliza Taylor and Harriet Beecher, Georgiana May, Charles Edward, Fredrick
William, Samuel Charles, and Henry Ellis.

Writing Career
Harriets writing career initially began even before marriage. She published
Primary Geography for Children in 1833 and New England Sketches, a collection of
short stories, in 1835. Some of her later work includes The Mayflower: Sketches of
Scenes and Characters Among the Descendants of the Pilgrims, and The Coral Ring a
short story that promoted temperance and the abolition of slavery both released in 1843.
She also wrote as a freelance writer for local papers; rather than being a loyal, permanent
employee of one newspaper, she went back and forth between several different ones.
She took an interest in political matters early on; even publishing some of her
work for the antislavery journal National Era. Her installments were called Life Among
the Lowly, and were published as Uncle Toms Cabin in 1842. Originally, she and others
around her expected not more than 2 or 3 installments, though they ended up being more
than 40.
Harriet wrote about varying topics from textbooks for children to advice books
on homemaking and family life. She also wrote several biographies and conducted
various religious studies. She had a unique style of writing for her time her casual,
conversational style allowed her to reach large audiences, ranging from children to

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professionals. She was able to influence people that could not be reached by more
scholarly or argumentative methods. She encouraged everyone to take a stand and discuss
controversial topics including but not restricted to slavery, gender roles, and religious
reform. She believed that everyones actions could make positive difference, and it was
this belief that led to her to change how everyday people perceived slavery.
Harriets passion for writing benefited her in many ways. It enabled her to voice
her opinions and give her input on important issues that women usually did not meddle
with in the 19th century. Women could not speak publicly; let alone vote or hold any
authoritative position. She was also able to contribute financially to the Stowe family
household, which was very rare for women.

Uncle Toms Cabin and Later Work

Among all her work, Uncle Toms Cabin was by far the most successful,
popular, and influential. It was published on March 20th, 1852, and within its first year, it
sold 300,000 copies in America and over one million in Great Britain it was the best
selling novel and second-best selling book of the 19th century, after the Bible.
Uncle Toms Cabin is a narrative told from the perspective of Uncle Tom, a
black slave. It opened the minds of many people by offering an accurate representation of
the harsh and cruel reality of slavery in the 19th century. The story proved that love and
faith could overcome something as terrible as enslavement of human beings. It greatly
aided the abolitionist cause of the 1850s and effected society for decades afterwards.
Harriet stated, I did not write it. God wrote it. I merely did his dictation, when
speaking of Uncle Toms Cabin, further reinforcing her Christian beliefs.

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Uncle Toms Cabin was a very influential book; it was believed to have
contributed to the start of the Civil War in 1861. President Abraham Lincoln himself
greeted Harriet with So youre the little woman who wrote the book that started this
Great War.
Uncle Toms Cabin enabled Harriet to write full time. She began publishing even
more work, including Key to Uncle Toms Cabin, which documented the case histories on
which she had based her novel, and another powerful anti-slavery book Dred: A Tale
form the Swamp.

Last Years
Harriet lived in Hartford, Connecticut for the last 23 years of her life. She died on
July 1st, 1896, and was buried on the grounds of Phillip Academy in Andover,
Massachusetts.

Legacy
Overall, Harriet Beecher Stowes wrote for fifty-one years of her life. She
published thirty books and numerous short stories, articles, poems, and more.
Undoubtedly, she left an unforgettable legacy. Landmarks dedicated to her exist all over
the United States, and her home is preserved, now a museum.

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Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources

HarrietBeecherStowe.1862.ByJohnsonFry&Co.21Jan.2015.
ThissourceisapaintingofHarrietBeecherStowe. It is a primary source because it
is an original painting made during her lifetime.

Secondary Sources

"Harriet Beecher Stowe." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 21 Jan.
2015.
This source is an online source a detailed biography on Harriet Beecher. The
source was used to get facts and other background information about her life. This
is a secondary source because is not a document or object which was

written/created during the time under study.

Bailey,ThomasAndrew,andDavidM.Kennedy.TheAmericanPageant.11th
ed.Boston:HoughtonMifflin,1998.Print.
ThissourceisabookadetailedreviewofAmericanhistory.Thissourcewas
usedtogetfurtherinsightaboutthetopic,toconfirmfacts,andgetreliable
information.Itisasecondarysourcebecauseitinterpretsandretellsprevious

findingsorhistoricalevents.
"Primary vs. Secondary Sources." Princeton University. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.
This was an online source published by Princeton University. I used it to help me
understand the differences between primary and secondary sources. This is also a
secondary source because it is not a historical document - rather, commentary.