Who was Harriet Beecher Stowe? Harriet Beecher Stowe was an author in the early 1800s (Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Life 2015). She published more than 30 books in her lifetime, but it was a anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which turned her into an international celebrity and also secured her place in history(Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Life 2015). But Uncle Tom’s Cabin was not her only work that she did. She had a broad range of interests. Harriet Stowe wrote children’s text books, advisatory books on homemaking and childrearing, religious studies and also some biographies. She believed that her actions would make a positive difference and according to some, her words changed the world(Harriet Beecher Stowe for Students 2008). Harriet Beecher
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In the year 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law. This prompted distress in free black communities and provoked protests from abolitionists. Harriet condemned slavery as a moral and spiritual wrong and her father and brothers preached against the act from their pulpits(American Women Writers 2005). Harriet aspired to write a parable which, like many in the Bible, would inspire her readers to turn from the sin. In 1851 to 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin in the abolitionist newspaper the National Era; later in the year 1852, the story appeared as a complete volume(American Women Writers 2005). Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an instant bestseller. This story that she wrote told of Tom whose cruel master beat him to death and of Eliza and George Harris who flee their bondage in Kentucky, hoping to reach their destination in Canada before the slave-catchers find them. Harriet Beecher Stowe also believed in the Underground Railroad. She believed that owning slaves was morally wrong and that it should not be done. After her publishment of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet became an immediate celebrity. This inspired abolitionists and the ire of those who were defending the South. Her book was translated into many languages and was even adapted for performance on the stage. Her novel had extensive effects on the consciences of her
In the year 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law. This prompted distress in free black communities and provoked protests from abolitionists. Harriet condemned slavery as a moral and spiritual wrong and her father and brothers preached against the act from their pulpits(American Women Writers 2005). Harriet aspired to write a parable which, like many in the Bible, would inspire her readers to turn from the sin. In 1851 to 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin in the abolitionist newspaper the National Era; later in the year 1852, the story appeared as a complete volume(American Women Writers 2005). Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an instant bestseller. This story that she wrote told of Tom whose cruel master beat him to death and of Eliza and George Harris who flee their bondage in Kentucky, hoping to reach their destination in Canada before the slave-catchers find them. Harriet Beecher Stowe also believed in the Underground Railroad. She believed that owning slaves was morally wrong and that it should not be done. After her publishment of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet became an immediate celebrity. This inspired abolitionists and the ire of those who were defending the South. Her book was translated into many languages and was even adapted for performance on the stage. Her novel had extensive effects on the consciences of her