Semi-Colon Club

The Semi-Colon Club was an informal organization of talented writers in Cincinnati, Ohio during the mid-1800s. Harriet Beecher Stowe was a member of the club while living in the city during the 1840s. Stowe's experiences in Cincinnati and her time in the club were major factors in her work "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

Harriet Beecher Stowe's uncles lived in Cincinnati, and called on the family at their home often. One day, Samuel Foote invited Harriet to join his favorite club, The Semi-Colon Club. It was a literary club, made up of some of the best minds in Cincinnati, including future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Salmon P. Chase; Judge James Hall, who was editor of "Western Monthly Magazine"; and the couple Calvin Ellis Stowe and Eliza Tyler Stowe. [http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/stowe/section2.rhtml]

The Semi-Colon Club was the catalyst which inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write; thus we have it to thank for "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

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.)