Welcome to the conversation!


Welcome to the conversation!

Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1811-1896) best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), made her the most famous American woman of the 19th century and galvanized the abolition movement before the Civil War.

The Stowe Center is a 21st-century museum and program center using Stowe's story to inspire social justice and positive change.

The Salons at Stowe programs are a forum to connect the challenging issues (race, gender and class) that impelled Stowe to write and act with the contemporary face of those same issues. The Salon format is based on a robust level of audience participation, with the explicit goal of promoting civic engagement. Recent topics included: Teaching Acceptance; Is Prison the New Slavery; Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North; Creativity and Change; Race, Gender and Politics Today; How to be an Advocate

This blog will expand the reach of these community conversations to the online audience. Add your posts and comments to keep the conversation going! Commit to action by clicking HERE to stay up to date on Salon and social justice news.

For updates on Stowe Center programs and events, sign up for our enews at http://harrietbeecherstowe.org/email.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Beyond July 4th, 1776

Though July 4th, 1776 marked the ceremonial start of independence for the United States and some Americans, the date has also marked other notable events, speeches, and actions that have culminated to move the U.S. closer to liberty and justice for all Americans. 

Below are some examples of U.S. history beyond July 4th, 1776 gathered from the Zinn Education Project: 

July 4th, 1827: New York abolishes slavery: 
A gradual emancipation law started in 1799 ended on July 4th, 1827, when the last of enslaved persons were emancipated. Despite the abolition of slavery in New York, the state, like many others in the North, benefitted economically from the continuation of slavery in other states. 

July 5th, 1852: Frederick Douglass delivers "The Meaning of the Fourth of July to the Negro": 
At an event commemorating the fourth of July in Rochester, New York, Frederick Douglass delivered  a speech addressing the paradox of celebrating "independence" in the U.S., when not all were free.  

William Lloyd Garrison, Henry David Thoreau, Sojourner Truth, and other abolitionists gathered for a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.  

Broadside from rally, via Zinn Educaiton Project. 

When you hear "Independence Day" what do you think? How can we continually work as a country to bring liberty and justice for all Americans? Learn more about July 4th in United States history at the Zinn Education Project.  
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