Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe was an American author and abolitionist, born on 14 June 1811 and dead on 1 July 1896. She came from the Beecher family and wrote the popular novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852, which depicts the harsh conditions experienced by enslaved African Americans. The book reached an audience of millions as a novel and play, energized anti-slavery forces in the American North and provoked widespread anger in the South. Stowe wrote over thirty books, including novels, three travel memoirs and collections of articles and letters, and she was influential both for her writings and for her public stances and debates on the social issues of her day.