When you stand for something that’s not popular, or goes against the collective grain, it can be easy to think you’re all alone. Or that your influence isn’t enough. But, if that describes you, here’s a little inspiration to show you how one person matters.
Back in 1800’s a 41 year old woman sure found out that one person matters.
She was the daughter of a president of Lane Theological Seminary. And she taught at another school that was established by her own sister. So, you could say “higher education” ran in the family. And she was definitely no dummy.
Her activities in the school where she taught included much more than teaching. She provided stories and sketches to local journals (kind of like newspapers) and a school geography until 1836.
Then, in 1836, she married a clergyman and seminary professor in Cincinnati. Fortunately for her (and eventually a lot of other people) he encouraged her writing. In 1843 she published a work called “Sketches of Scenes and Characters Among the Descendants of the Pilgrims.
As it just so happened, during her 18 years in Cincinnati, she lived just across the Ohio River from a slave-holding community. And she actually made contact with fugitive slaves. Plus, she learned about life in the South from some friends. She even made some visits down South.
But in 1850 her husband took a professor’s position at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. So, of course, they moved there. Sometime, during those days, she read quite a bit of slavery abolitionist literature. And with that information, and her own observations, she started writing a “long tale of slavery” which was published as a series in a periodical called the National Era.
That was an antislavery paper in Washington, D.C.
Despite what you might have heard about “white people” and their racist attitudes, her writings became a very popular book. In fact, it was described as an “immediate sensation.” Abolitionists whole-heartedly embraced the book AND her.
But, as you might guess, people who still wanted to own slaves considered it basically a crime to even read her book. Yeah, it was extremely dangerous to have a copy of the book. Yet, in spite of that, 300,000 copies of the book were sold in its first year.
It was even translated into a play and performed to “capacity audiences.” So, she became quite the attraction in literary circles. And she was even “enthusiastically received” on a visit to England in 1853.
To say her book had a polarizing effect on the subject of slavery is a huge understatement. In fact, there’s a mighty good chance you already know the shortened name of her famous book.
Harriet Beecher Stowe led a writer’s life. And she penned many other works. Even a small volume of religious poems (a woman after…or should it be, before…my own heart).
And Harriet didn’t advocate for the regulation of slavery. No, her position was that it must be abolished. Because she understood the value of every human being. She knew that even one person matters.
And she proved that with her bold writing.
My guess is that if Mrs. Stowe were alive today, she’d be at her desk, right now, writing about the need to abolish abortion. Because my guess is that she understood that human beings are human beings from the moment they’re conceived. So, I bet she would want to protect the unborn ones from all those adults who would rather murder them.
Of course, I’m only guessing. But her track record makes a good case. I bet I’m right about her.
Anyway…
I thought it would be interesting to share a little info about the writer of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Because it just so happens that she died on this date, July 1, back in 1896. And many people still know who she is all these 127 years later. That’s how much one person matters.
You should thank your Mom
‘Cause she thought of you as a person.
From the very start
She was calling you her daughter or her son.
Stay tuned,
