The Semi-Colon Club was an informal organization of talented writers in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

during the mid-19th century.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

was a member of the club while living in the city from 1832 until 1850. Stowe's experiences in Cincinnati and her time in the club were major factors in her work ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U. ...

''. Harriet Beecher Stowe's uncles lived in Cincinnati and called on the family at their home often. One day, Harriet Beecher's uncle

Samuel Foote Samuel Foote (January 1720 – 21 October 1777) was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic opportunity. Early l ...

, who was a brother of Harriet Beecher's late mother, Roxanna Foote, invited Harriet and older sister Catherine Beecher to join his favorite club, The Semi-Colon Club. It was a

literary Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

club, made up of some of the best minds in Cincinnati, including future Chief Justice of the United States

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

; Judge James Hall, who was editor of '' Western Monthly Magazine''; novelist

Caroline Lee Hentz Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (June 1, 1800, Lancaster, Massachusetts – February 11, 1856, Marianna, Florida) was an American novelist and author, most noted for her defenses of slavery and opposition to the abolitionist movement. Her widely read ' ...

, and the couple

Calvin Ellis Stowe Calvin Ellis Stowe (April 6, 1802 – August 22, 1886) was an American Biblical scholar who helped spread public education in the United States. Over his career, he was a professor of languages and Biblical and sacred literature at Andover Theolo ...

and Eliza Tyler Stowe

Other members included pioneering physicians

Daniel Drake Daniel Drake (October 20, 1785 – November 5, 1852) was a pioneering American physician and prolific writer. Early life Drake was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, to Isaac Drake and Elizabeth Shotwell. He was the elder brother of Benjamin ...

of Cincinnati, who founded the first medical school in the city, and

Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 182131 May 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Ki ...

, who later became the first American female physician and, owing to her English origins, the first practicing female physician in England.

Catherine Beecher Catharine Esther Beecher (September 6, 1800 – May 12, 1878) was an American educator known for her forthright opinions on female education as well as her vehement support of the many benefits of the incorporation of kindergarten into children's ...

, Harriet's sister, was an early advocate of education for girls, helping to found several schools and colleges for women. Notable about the Semi-Colon Club was the mixing of the sexes in literary activity and recitation. Harriet Beecher Stowe presented her early works to the entire group, even though the Victorian social standards of the day would have excluded her from speaking in public to a group that included men. Not until after the Civil War did Mrs. Stowe embark on a speaking tour where she publicly spoke to audiences of men and women.

References

* Jackson, Phyllis Wynn. Victorian Cinderella: The Story of Harriet Beecher Stowe. New York: H. Wolff Book Manufacturing Company, 1947. (See especially pp. 170–175.) 19th century in Cincinnati Culture of Cincinnati Writing circles Beecher family {{lit-org-stub