Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811-July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. She is most famous for her novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), which authentically described the ravages of life for enslaved African Americans. It reached millions as a novel and play, energized the North, and sparked outrage in the South. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln is said to have called Stowe "… the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” In addition to Uncle Tom's Cabin, she penned more than 20 books, travel memoirs, and letters.