Fun Facts Friday: Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe (14 June, 1811 – 1 July, 1896) is an American author, known mostly for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin but she was an avid writer all of her life.

Picture from Nation’s history is embedded in portrait of a famous writer – boston.com

Books by Harriet Beecher Stowe*

Fun Facts about Harriet Beecher Stowe:

1 ) Uncle Tom’s Cabin was originally slated to be a short series in an abolitionist magazine

2 ) Stowe was often criticized for not having firsthand knowledge of slavery. In response Stowe published A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin which revealed her sources.

3 ) After the American Civil War, Stowe bought a home in Florida and started schools for African American children.

4 ) It is said that Stowe danced in the streets when President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation.

5 ) When Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln he reported to have said: “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!”

6 ) Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold 300,000 copies.

7 ) In 1853 Stowe was welcomed in England as a literary hero.

8 ) In November 1857 Stowe was one of the original contributors to The Atlantic along with Ralph Waldo Emerson.

9 ) When living in Hartford, CT Stowe’s next door neighbor was Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), it is said that the two were on friendly terms. Once Clemens visited without a cravat (tie). When his wife chastised him, Clemens put a tie on a tray and had his butler delivering it with an apologetic note. Stowe replied that Clemens discovered a new principle “that a man can call by installments”.

10) Stowe’s Hartford home is a museum (The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center) which can be visited if you’re in the area.

Books by Harriet Beecher Stowe*

Zohar – Man of la Book
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account

Post originally published as Fun Facts Friday: Harriet Beecher Stowe on 15 June, 2012.