Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) was an American author, suffragist, and abolitionist whose best-known work, Uncle Tom's Cabin, incited fury in the South while it galvanized the antislavery movement in the North.
Born in Litchfield, Connecticut, Harriet was one of ten siblings who were each devoted to social change whether through ministry, education, or activism in the burgeoning suffrage movement. For Harriet it would be through writing. In her lifetime she wrote thirty books including travel memoirs, articles, and novels, all reflecting her outspoken views on the controversial societal issues of the day. In 1832, Harriet met Calvin Ellis Stowe, a professor and active supporter of the Underground Railroad whose home was a harbor for fugitive slaves. From this experience, Harriet wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, which gained her immediate international recognition and celebrity.