Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born Elizabeth Harriet Beecher on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut, into a prominent Calvinist family. Her father, Lyman Beecher, was a prominent religious leader, and her siblings included Henry Ward Beecher and Catharine Beecher. She attended the Hartford Female Seminary, where she received an education emphasizing religious and moral instruction.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in 1852, was Stowe’s first novel and became the best-selling novel of the 19th century. The book provoked intense reaction against American slavery both at home and abroad, which Stowe found satisfying. She wrote many more novels, but none matched the impact of her first. Her later works included My Wife and I and Pearl of Love.

In 1836, Harriet married Calvin Ellis Stowe, a seminary professor. They had seven children, several of whom died in childhood. One surviving child was Charles Edward Stowe. She later rejected the Calvinist teachings of her youth, replacing them with a more merciful and forgiving religious philosophy.

Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin remains a landmark in American literature and abolitionist history. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1986, the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994, and the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. She is pictured on a 75-cent US postage stamp in the Distinguished Americans series, issued on June 13, 2007. Her work continues to be studied for its role in shaping public opinion against slavery.