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Harriet Beecher Stowe 

We cannot talk about reputable women writers without mentioning Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was an abolitionist and author known for her widely influential book Uncle Tom's Cabin. She was born to deeply religious parents and grew up surrounded by highly educated and ambitious siblings. Because of this, she was exposed to abolitionist philosophies from a young age and was educated in topics usually reserved for men at the time. Her father was employed at a seminary where she met her husband who was a professor there, Calvin Stowe. She described him as: “rich in Greek & Hebrew, Latin & Arabic, & alas! rich in nothing else…”

Harriet wrote throughout her life but she published her most pivotal novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852. She wrote it in response to the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which required slaves to be returned to their enslavers, even if they were in a free state. The story 



follows an enslaved man named Uncle Tom as he saves a slaveholders young daughter. He is depicted throughout the novel as virtuous and devoutly Christian. However, the brutal experience of slavery leads to his demise. The book became an instant hit. About two million copies were sold worldwide by 1857. It was the second best-selling novel of the 19th century, beat only the Bible.

The reception of the novel was mixed. On one hand, it opened thousands of eyes to the horrors of slavery, and is credited with helping the abolition cause. Some claim it pushed the nation towards civil war. There is a rumor that when Stowe met President Lincoln, he said:  “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” On the other hand, slavery supporters called it out as a lie. They published Anti-Tom literature that was pro-slavery where they defended it as morally acceptable
 
In 1852 Calvin received a job at the Andover Theological Seminary. They lived in what was called The Samaritan House for a year while they waited for their more permanent home, The Stone House, to be finished. It was in this house that she wrote the last 2 chapters of Uncle Tom’s Cabin as well as her defense of the novel A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin. After her publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin she received backlash from people who refused to believe slavery was as bad as she described. A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin provided a collection of research that supported her fictional account. 

Stowe and her family spent 12 years in Andover. During that time she caused quite a stir. She received so much mail an extra postman had to be hired! Some of this was hate mail including a human ear from a plantation owner who had cut it off his slave. 
She threw extravagant parties and welcomed famous guests including Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. She held Christmas parties when it was looked down upon by the conservative Andover residents. Much to their distaste she put up the town’s first Christmas tree. 

One of the most famous encounters, however, was that of Sojourner Truth. Truth was an abolitionist and women's rights activist. She was born into slavery but escaped with her daughter. She is known for being the first Black woman to win a case against a white man who had illegally sold her son into slavery. ​In 1843 she claimed she had a vision from god telling her to preach to end slavery. As a result, she traveled around the US giving speeches and recruited thousands of soldiers for the union army. She published a book about her life called The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. Although she could not read or write she dictated her story to a literate friend. It became an instant hit. 

In 1853 she had arrived in Andover for the sole purpose of meeting with Stowe. Following the interaction Stowe wrote the introduction for Truth's second edition of her novel. 
The support from Stowe no doubt helped Truth become one of the most famous Black women of her time. However, even Stowe had a complicated view of race. Although she remained staunchly against slavery, she did not believe in racial equity. Instead, she suggested emancipated slaves should be sent to Africa. Her story, although so helpful in furthering the abolitionist cause, contained racist stereotypes which depicted slaves as childlike and referred to them as “pets.” 

After Stowe met with Truth she published an essay in The Atlantic about the interaction.  Although the article is credited with popularizing Truth’s name and story- Stowe also used racist tropes that were popular at the time- namely that Truth was from Africa and spoke in a strong Southern accent. Although Truth denied these claims, the traits from this article followed her all her life. It is important to note this nuance because although Stowe was an important abolitionist, she too was guilty of propagating stereotypes.  

Stowe died in 1896 and is buried beside Calvin and their son, Henry, in Chapel Cemetery on Phillips Academy. 

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