Meet Harriet Beecher Stowe,
Renowned author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

When I first started to research a storytelling piece on Harriet Beecher Stowe, I wasn’t too certain that I would find her story to be interesting and appealing to the general public. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Here was a woman who embodied the strength and fortitude of great women of the nineteenth century.

Harriet was born into an established New England family of preachers, her father being a very prominent First Congregational Minister and her brother Henry Ward, equaling that fame as a preacher and great debater of the period. Harriet was well educated and extremely gifted, yet she could not publicly speak or even lead a prayer in church. She grew up at a time when slavery was on the minds of everyone, and she found herself relating to the abolitionists- despite the risks that accompanied it. She grew increasingly angry with the government and lack of intervention from the churches. When her family moved to Cincinnati, OH, which was at the crossroads between the North and the South, tempers were flaring and Harriet did her best to establish some order. Her biggest obstacle was she was a woman, and wasn’t given much credence. She turned to writing to help educate people and get her message across.

Most of the pieces she published fell on deaf ears. Then in 1852, when the Fugitive Slave Act went into effect, Harriet reached a new all time low. She was devastated. One day, when a certain letter from her sister-in-law arrived, Harriet knew what she had to do. She had to write something powerful enough to change the minds of people and to set in motion the need to abolish slavery once and for all. She wrote to Dr. Bailey of the National Era and sent him a sample of her story. She warned him it might take three or four installments before it was complete. Dr. Bailey sent her a check for $300 and encouraged her to write this important piece of literature, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The rest is history.

She had to write something powerful enough to change the minds of people and to set in motion the need to abolish slavery once and for all.

This one-woman storytelling program on Harriet Beecher Stowe, relates her life and times, and many personal insights into this amazing woman. Harriet was a wife, a mother, an educator, a writer, and more importantly, a visionary. She felt chosen to write a book unlike any other, not only of that period, but even today. Harriet may have been a small five foot white woman from New England but she had a profound impact on America. Why even President Lincoln upon meeting her said, “So this is the little lady who started this big war.”

Harriet’s story is an inspiration to all of us struggling to do the right thing, and believing in ourselves. In this program I try and capture the heart and soul of this gentle powerhouse and share her story with all who will listen.

Harriet Beecher Stowe is a wonderful story for Black History Month. Invite Paddy to your school, church, library, or social event to share this remarkable story.

In honor of Black History Month, book a February date before December 15 and receive a special discount! Contact Paddy for details.

View a sample video from one of Paddy's recent performances, or listen to one of her testimonials on this production.

Remember, in honor of Black History Month, book a February date before December 15 and receive a special discount! Contact Paddy for details.