Stowe Center for Literary Activism

Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Legacy of Activism and Literary Impact

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) was the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), a groundbreaking antislavery novel that had an enormous impact in the United States. Stowe’s life was deeply intertwined with Hartford, Connecticut, where she moved permanently in 1864. From 1873 until her death in 1896, she resided on Forest Street. In recognition of her contributions to literature and social justice, Stowe was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Stowe Center for Literary Activism

The Stowe Center for Literary Activism is a social justice museum, research library/archive, and program center located in Hartford, CT. The center’s mission is to foster social justice and literary activism by exploring the legacy of Harriet Beecher Stowe and all those who have advocated for hope and freedom—both in her time and in the present.

The center offers immersive experiences that connect the 19th century to the 21st, using historical objects and spaces to prompt discourse. By facilitating difficult conversations, the Stowe Center explores the nuanced history and evolution of social justice, literary activism, and civic engagement.

Centering Black Freedom Builders and Inclusive Histories

A key initiative at the Stowe Center focuses on centering the contributions of the many Black freedom builders who played pivotal roles in creating and fortifying abolitionist communities that inspired Stowe. The center also highlights the responses of authors and activists to Stowe’s legacy and to a nation built on slavery.

The Stowe Center aims to elevate inclusive histories of agency, resistance, and resilience while drawing awareness to systems of oppression—such as gender, race, and economic inequality—that perpetuate white supremacy. In doing so, the center seeks to inspire social justice and literary activism today, continuing Stowe’s legacy of advocating for freedom and equality.

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s impact continues to resonate through the Stowe Center, which serves as a space for learning, reflection, and activism, connecting past struggles to present-day efforts for justice.

This site is open to the public.