Orators pg. 4
The Independent.
New York, December 20, 1860.
The Independent was an important voice in support of abolitionism, women’s suffrage, and other progressive causes. Under special contributors, Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe penned an article entitled “The President’s Message” in which Stowe wrote guardedly about the campaign of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Sojurner Truth’s anecdote, “Is God dead?” appears in Stowe’s article. She contributed articles on slavery, religion, and morality to a The Independent, on a regular basis.
From the collection of Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)
Religious Poems. With Illustrations.
Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1867.
Although her great fame rests on writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s religious poetry was extremely popular.
From the Helen LaKelly Hunt Collection of American Women Reformers and Writers
Rev. Josiah H Henson and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Edited by John Lobb.
Uncle Tom's story of his life An Autobiography of Rev. Josiah Henson (Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom”) from 1789 to 1876.
London, "Christian Age" Office, 1876.
Josiah Henson (1789-1883) was an author, abolitionist, and minister. The public originally believed that Henson's life story was the basis for the character of Uncle Tom in her novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.
From the collection of Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner
Harriet Beecher Stowe house [Postcard].
Boston, Massachusetts: The Metropolitan News Co., no date.
Postcard featuring image of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s house in Hartford, Connecticut. Stowe lived in this house for the last 23 years of her life.
From the collection of Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner
Sojourner Truth [carte de visite] noted on front “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance.”
1864.
Sojourner Truth (c. 1797– 1883) was born into slavery and sold as a slave when she was nine years old. She escaped from slavery with her infant daughter in 1826. On June 1, 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth and committed to devoting her life to Methodism, the abolition of slavery, and equal rights for all.
From the collection of Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner
Sojourner Truth (ca. 1797-1883)
Narrative of Sojourner Truth; A Bondswoman of Olden Time, Emancipated by the New York Legislature in the Early Part of the Present Century; With a History of Her Labors and Correspondence, Drawn From Her "Book of Life".
Boston: Published for the Author, 1875.
In her narrative, Truth recounts her name changes, identity, and declares herself, by her will, not a willing victim, but an active opponent. She recounts early incidents showing the absolute inhumanity of slavery as practiced in the North as well as the South and she frankly describes the brutal practice of slave owners.
From the Helen LaKelly Hunt Collection of American Women Reformers and Writers
Frances E. Willard (1839-1898)
Woman and Temperance: or, The Work and Workers of The Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
Hartford: Park Publishing Co., 1883.
Frances Willard transformed the Women’s Christian Temperance Union into a strong advocate of woman suffrage and brought the group into the political arena, actively campaigning for candidates across the nation. This work includes the biographies of Mary Livermore, Mother Stewart, and Annie Wittenmyer, as well as a portrait of Willard herself, written by Mary Lathbury.
From the Helen LaKelly Hunt Collection of American Women Reformers and Writers
Frances E. Willard (1839-1898)
Woman in the Pulpit.
Boston: D. Lothrop and Company, circa 1888.
This is an argument for more women preachers. Willard served as secretary of the American Methodist Ladies Centenary Association, and in 1887 was one of the first women elected as a delegate to the Methodist General Conference.
From the Helen LaKelly Hunt Collection of American Women Reformers and Writers
Frances E. Willard (1839-1898)
[Fan with Image of Frances Willard.]
Harrisburg, PA: Woman's Christian Temperance Union, circa 1898.
From the Helen LaKelly Hunt Collection of American Women Reformers and Writers
Anna A. Gordon (1853-1931)
The Beautiful Life of Frances E. Willard A Memorial Volume.
Chicago: Woman's Temperance Publishing Association, 1898.
This first edition of Anna Gordon’s memorial biography of Frances Willard contains character Sketches and Memorial tributes by: Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, Mary Livermore, Susan B. Anthony, Booker T. Washington, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Rabbi Hirsch. Gordon worked twenty-one years as Willard’s private secretary.
From the Helen LaKelly Hunt Collection of American Women Reformers and Writers