Christian, Jews

How One Christian Woman Changed the World

“I feel now that the time is come when even a woman or a child who can speak a word for freedom and humanity is bound to speak… I hope every woman who can write will not be silent.”  Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (emphasis mine)

The quote above is an encouragement to me, as a Christian woman, to write about the things God lays on my heart. My prayer is that it will serve as an encouragement to you as well.

The quote highlights Stowe’s belief in the crucial role of women in advocating for freedom and humanity through writing, urging them to break their silence and use their voices for positive change. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe was a devout Christian, an American author, and an abolitionist. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which depicts the harsh conditions experienced by enslaved African Americans, became a sensation, selling millions of copies and bringing the realities of slavery to a wide audience, particularly in the North. 

She believed that slavery was incompatible with Christian values, and her book aimed to show the conflict between them. 

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is considered one of the most influential books in American history.

Summary

Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom's Cabin
Angels, including Little Eva, awaiting the spirit of Uncle Tom after his death by a brutal beating; illustration from a c. 1870 edition of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Harriet met with President Abraham Lincoln. It is reported, but not authenticated, that the president said to her, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war?”

Lincoln Meets Stowe

SCRIPTURES TO PONDER

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 (emphasis mine)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

“The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng” Psalm 68:11

In His Love, Cindy

SOURCES:

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

11 thoughts on “How One Christian Woman Changed the World”

  1. This really touched my heart this morning. Martha Washington was also a great influence in her time. We can name so many women of God who lead the way. May we endeavor to do the same. May God keep you and bless you.

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    1. I doubt that these women had any idea of the impact their lives would make. They were simply devout, Christian women, and God used them. I am curious to know more about Martha Washington. I will definitely research her. Thanks for bringing up her name. God bless you, Eileen! I thank God for our friendship! 🤗

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