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Harriet Beecher Stowe is born
Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. Her father was Lyman Beecher and her mother was Roxanne Foote Beecher. She had 12 other siblings. -
DIsagreement with slavery starts in young Stowe's mind
Following her mother's death, Stowe is sent to stay with her aunt and grandmother at a farm along the shore of Long Island Sound. It was here where she learned to read and where she met black people for the first time. They were not slaves but instead indentured servants. However, they were still not treated as equals to white people and this information did not sit well with young Stowe. -
Joined Connecticut Female Seminary
Catharine Stowe, Hariet's sister, started a school for girls where they were taught to read, write, and do basic arithmetic like any boy would. Catharine passed her abolitionist views onto Stowe as she learned. Harriet discovered poetry at this school, but her sister thought it worthless and destroyed the poem. -
Fugitive Slave Act prompts Stowe to express her position on Act
Stowe strongly disagreed with the Fugitive Slave Act and wanted to express the feelings of abolitionists through her novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. She was supported by her husband, Calvin Stowe, who was also a strict abolitionist. The details of the book were based on the life experiences of Josiah Henson. -
First Installment of Uncle Tom's Cabin published in National Era
Stowe's book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, was a controversial novel about the treatment and living conditions of slaves. Southerners believed it to be propoganda meant to hurt their way of life. Northerners were shocked by the contents of the book but it fueled the push for outlawing slavery. -
Final Publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a reaction piece meant to show people how slaves were really treated in the south. Southerners denied the accusations and shrugged the novel off as if it were fiction. However, the information increased support for abolition. -
Stowe continues writing to keep up her influence in the abolitionist community
Stowe published an average of one article every two weeks in various magazines. These articles were mostly focused on the unjustness of slavery. Some articles, however, were stories she made up. -
Stowe publishes "A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin" to settle disputes over her book
Many southerners claimed that Uncle Tom's Cabin was a work of fiction or propoganda meant to further abolition. In response to this, Stowe compiled all of the sources she used to write the book. This book was ,meant to prove southerners wrong and further shock the government into abolishing slavery. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe meets Queen Victoria
Harriet Beecher Stowe traveled to England twice on abolition business. The second time, she had the privilege of meeting the Queen. On this trip, Stowe also became friends with Lady Byron, whose husband was a romantic poet before passing away. -
Stowe and family travel to Florence, Italy
Stowe spent the winter in Italy with many other authors. She often described this trip as the happiest time of her life. She was away from the turmoil of the slavery debate and surrounded by other literary oriented people. -
Retired from Andover Seminary
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Stowe purchases a plantation and employs over a hundred former slaves
This is an image of the school.It isn't documented exactly when Stowe started the plantation in order to help freed slaves, so this is a timespan of when it could have occurred. Stowe sensed an oncoming Union win and wanted to supoort and help freed slaves. This plantation provided jobs for slaves who were suddenly homeless and jobless. She also started a school in Florida for freed slaves during this timespan. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe Passes Away
Harriet Beecher Stowe passed away in Hartford, Connecticut. She died of natural causes. She was 85 years old when she died.
