Born June 14, 1811
Litchfield, Connecticut
Died July 1, 1896
Hartford, Connecticut

Author, abolitionist, teacher

During the course of her long literary career, Harriet Beecher Stowe published sixteen books, hundreds of short stories, and countless articles, children's tales, and religious poems, but nothing ever equaled the success of her 1852 novel, known by its shortened name, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Almost overnight, the book ended her family's financial problems and made her an international celebrity. More important, historians give the popularity of Stowe's book credit for unifying public opinion in the North against slavery, a sentiment that ultimately led to the Civil War (1861-65) and the end of slavery in the United States.