Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was an American writer and activist whose most celebrated work, Uncle Tom's Cabin, became a symbol of the fight against slavery and a catalyst for the national debate that led to the Civil War. The daughter of an influential preacher and raised in a deeply religious and reformist environment, Stowe used her literary talent to denounce social injustices and champion the abolitionist cause. She published more than thirty books, including novels, essays, and memoirs.