Stowe painted in 1853 by Alan Fisher. Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 - July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) depicted life for African-Americans under slavery. It was read and seen by millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom. It energized anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. When Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the White in 1862 he said, "So this is the little lady who wrote the book that made the big war." She died in 1896, at age of 85.