The Abolitionist by City on a Hill

“So you’re the little lady who wrote the book that started this big war.” –Abraham Lincoln, upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe

Introduction The Abolitionist is a ten-episode historical epic based on the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Confronted with the horrors of slavery and shaken by a family tragedy, Stowe pens Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the abolitionist novel that launches her to international fame and accelerates a divided nation’s march to war.

o tell her story is to tell the story of America. The United States’ current conflicts over race, gender, politics, and religion trace back to events that not only occurred in her lifetime, but that she had a prominent hand in shaping. In the spirit of classic and beloved television miniseries like John Adams, Bleak House, Hatfields & McCoys, North & South, Pride & Prejudice, and Roots, our series sets high-stakes human drama against a sweeping and tumultuous historical backdrop and looks to the past to inspire us to courageously do good in the present.

To tell her story is to tell the story of America.

American Epic her life plays out like the classic books on which so many beloved period films and miniseries are based.

any renowned 19th century authors drew on their own life experiences to paint realistic portraits of their times. Their novels often resemble their biographies. Harriet Beecher Stowe was no different. As a result, her life plays out like the classic books on which so many beloved period films and miniseries are based. The romance and refinement of Jane Austen, the colorful characters and social commentary of Charles Dickens, the gothic grit and gravity of the Bronte sisters, the historic sweep and epic scope of Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo. Love and passion. Classes and castes. Perilous battles. Tragic flaws. Untimely deaths. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all in there. Her life contains the reliable forms and conventions loved by fans of historical epics, while offering the newness, unpredictability, and originality of an untold story.

“This is the key to her whole life: She was impelled by love, and did what she did, and wrote what she did, under the impulse of love.” – Charles Edward Stowe, Harriet’s son

Her Story

arriet Beecher Stowe’s life was every bit as epic and dramatic as her many bestselling novels. Born in New England to America’s most prominent religious family, her move to Cincinnati at the age of 21 brought her face-to-face with the horrors of slavery. These life-changing encounters, combined with deep-seated Christian convictions and a heart-wrenching personal tragedy, inspired her to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The anti-slavery novel galvanized the nation and shot her into stratospheric fame. As the world’s most famous author, she counted Abraham Lincoln, Queen Victoria, Frederick Douglass, Lady Byron, Mark Twain, and many other 19th century notables among her friends and allies. As a citizen of conscience, she risked imprisonment by aiding runaway slaves. As a mother, she struggled to rehabilitate a son scarred physically and emotionally by the Civil War –a war her many detractors accused her of starting. And, as a gifted writer and passionate activist, she was able to wield her considerable talents and influence in

service to the Union and abolitionist cause. As America rebuilt and redefined itself, she and her sister Isabella joined Susan B. Anthony in the crusade for women’s suffrage. She braved more personal catastrophes and tenaciously stood by her equally famous brother, the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, as he weathered a

her life and writing changed the course of history for the better. humiliating, headline-hogging adultery scandal that gripped the nation and divided her family. She lived to see her most celebrated work offensively commercialized, stereotyped, and subverted beyond recognition. But, as her life drew to a close, Stowe drew comfort from the fact that her life and writing had changed the course of history for the better.

Her Work: Uncle Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabin

y the summer of 1851, two landmark events had torn the heart of Harriet Beecher Stowe. The first was the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a draconian law requiring all U. S. citizens to aid in the capture of runaway slaves. The second was a cholera epidemic that took the life of her 18-month-old son, Samuel. In her grief, Stowe deeply identified with the agony of slave mothers she had seen forcibly separated from their children on the auction block. She realized if she could draw that same connection in the hearts of mothers and fathers across America, she could change their minds on slavery.

Determined to bring good out of her devastating loss, she spoke the only way her talents and culture would allow: she began writing. Published in weekly installments in The National Era newspaper, Uncle Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabin went viral, galvanizing the nation and escalating the moral conflict that would culminate in the Civil War. When released as a novel, it sold 10,000 copies the first week, an unprecedented 300,000 the first year, and more copies than any book in the 19th century except the Bible.

Structure ACT ONE (Episodes 1-3)

Young Harriet and her family arrive in Cincinnati, a hotbed of political and racial tension. Venturing into neighboring Kentucky, Harriet’s encounters with slavery ignite her political and spiritual awakening. Her brother, Henry Ward, is similarly radicalized against racist mobs terrorizing the city. Harriet’s bourgeoning writing talents earn her membership in a prestigious literary society where she finds her voice and falls in love with professor Calvin Stowe.

ACT TWO (Episodes 4-7)

Harriet, Calvin, and Henry Ward aid fugitive slaves and openly confront the city’s violent mobs. As Harriet struggles to balance a growing writing career with the harrying demands of motherhood, a cholera epidemic claims the life of her 18-month-old son, Samuel. Grief stricken by her loss, enraged at the newly decreed Fugitive Slave Act, and haunted by her own encounters with slavery, Harriet pens Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It sets the nation on fire and propels Harriet to international stardom. Henry Ward’s increasing fame, radicalism, and flirtations with female parishioners earn him powerful enemies. Harriet is dealt more tragic blows: the drowning of her 19-year-old son, and the start of the Civil War. She wields her pen and her celebrity in service to the Union cause. She meets with President Lincoln and implores him to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. Her son, Fred, proves valiant in battle, but horrors seen and wounds suffered fuel his alcoholism.

ACT THREE (Episodes 8-10)

In the aftermath of war, Harriet fails to treat Fred’s addiction. He sails to San Francisco and vanishes. Harriet, Henry, and their sister, Isabella, take up the cause of women’s suffrage. But, infighting among feminist factions exposes Henry’s sins. The fallout grips the nation, bitterly divides Harriet and Isabella, and severely damages the Beecher name. She outlives Calvin and Henry Ward. As interest in her work renews, a lecture circuit enables her to visit the landmarks of her life and to see the enormously positive impact of her work.

WANDERER IN THE STORM JULIUS VON LEYPOLD ROMANTICISM | 1835

Tone and Style: Romantic Realism

n art and literature, the Romantic period occurred over the first half of Stoweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. Realism dominated the second. Both visual styles can be balanced throughout.

At times, we will employ lighting, music, and sweeping, fluid shots to heighten the romance and dramatics. Other times, we will emphasize realism and relatability through handheld, frenetic shots and careful attention to gritty details. The score will have a timeless, orchestral feel, influenced by Romantic composers and American musical styles emerging at that time - gospel vocals, piano, fiddle, etc. Another striking element will be the dramatic evolution in costumes, sets, and technology that occurs over the course of Harrietâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. Consider: At the time of her birth, Founding Father James Madison was President, and John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were still alive at 75 and 68 years old, respectively. At the time of her death, Grover Cleveland was serving the second of his two non-consecutive terms, and Franklin Roosevelt was 14. At her birth, there were 16 states. At her death, there were 45. During her lifetime, the telegraph, the telephone, and the light bulb were invented, and a cross-country railroad was built. We hope to leave viewers feeling theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been on an entertaining and rewarding journey with beloved friends.

The Beechers HARRIET BEECHER is passionate, perceptive, and imbued with a desire for justice -traits resulting in many triumphs and tribulations. She’s undisciplined and frittering in nearly every aspect of her life outside the craft she masters. Through writing, she artfully manipulates and overcomes the 19th century norms that prevent women from speaking truth to power. The devout daughter, sister, and wife of abolitionist preachers, her pen becomes her pulpit, and the whole world her church.

H E N R Y W A R D B E E C H E R is a charismatic, rule-bending firebrand and Harriet’s closest brother in age and affection. Even while becoming America’s most famous pastor, he takes up arms against pro-slavery mobs and ships rifles (“Beecher Bibles”) to abolitionist guerrillas in Kansas. With growing fame comes shifting beliefs. He denounces belief in Hell and endorses Darwin. The results of enlightenment? Or, the precursors to license? His reputation as a ladies man catches up to him when he’s accused of adultery with a parishioner, irreparably damaging his name and causes.

L YM A N BEEC HER is Harriet’s loving but legalistic father. A Puritan minister, he deeply instills Christian faith and a reforming ethos in all of his children - driving them to improve themselves and society. Hoping to evangelize the West, he moves his family from New England to Cincinnati. His tempered anti-slavery views anger both abolitionist and pro-slavery factions and nearly ruin the seminary over which he presides. Ultimately, Harriet must grow beyond his legalism and pragmatism.

CATHERIN E "KATE" BEEC HER is Harriet’s stern, meddling, and motherly older sister - a dynamic created by the early death of their mother. The consummate schoolmarm, Kate applies her brilliance toward pioneering female education - often saddling Harriet in “partnership” with her endeavors. The burdens aren’t without benefits. Harriet was educated at Catherine’s Hartford school, and their collaboration on a geography textbook opens doors. Beneath Kate’s hard-nose exterior lies hidden grief: As a young woman, her fiancé perished in a shipwreck. She labors to provide women with more avenues of securing their futures.

I S A B E L L A B E E C H E R H O O K E R is Harriet’s younger half-sister. Try as she might to admire Harriet’s success, envy gets the better of her. Determined to distinguish herself and justifiably angered by the lack of women’s rights, Isabella finds her calling as a suffragette. When Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony ask her to recruit her siblings for the cause, she begrudgingly obliges. Rivalries intensify when Isabella comes under the sway of the infamous Victoria Woodhull. A free love, anti-marriage revolutionary, Woodhull spitefully publishes credible allegations that Henry Ward has committed adultery with a parishioner. As the nation is riveted and sides are quickly declared, Isabella sides against Henry and Harriet.

The Stowes C A L V I N S T O W E is Harriet’s husband, closest companion, and staunchest advocate. They have their clashes and quarrels, but they compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And, even from their earliest days together, he believes in and encourages her talents. Though a brilliant biblical scholar and minister, he is ultimately content to be “Mr. Harriet Beecher Stowe.” Bookish, socially awkward, and occasionally brooding, he still has the flashes of wit, charm, and thoughtfulness to win and keep Harriet’s heart through 51 years of marriage.

HE NRY ELLIS S TOWE is Harriet’s first son. Gentle and contemplative, he accompanies Harriet on her celebrity tour of Europe. When his mother lovingly nudges him to accept her Christian faith as his own, he sincerely promises to consider it. However, he is never able to give her a definitive answer. Soon after, he drowns in a swimming accident. Harriet’s uncertainty about his eternal destiny sparks a crisis of faith and inspires her to write the novel, The Minister’s Wooing.

F R E D R I C K W I L L I A M S T O W E , Harriet’s second son, is arguably the most adversely affected by the Beechers’ fame. Though intelligent and lively as a boy, he struggles with schooling, falls in with a bad crowd, and is drinking heavily by age 16. As war starts, he’s terrified of proving a coward and disgracing his famous family. Perhaps overcompensating, he is valiant to the point of recklessness in battle. A head wound inflicted at Gettysburg never fully heals. Hoping to finally overcome his worsening alcoholism, he sets sail for San Francisco. Shortly after arriving, he vanishes.

HATTY and ELIZA STOWE are twins and the eldest of Harriet’s children. They never marry - preferring the leisurely freedom that singleness and Harriet’s prosperity affords. However, they do settle down and serve their parents faithfully, working as their assistants, correspondents, and caretakers.

C H A R L E S E D W A R D S T O W E is Harriet’s last and initially most rebellious child. At age 13, he nearly boards a ship in hopes of becoming a sailor; but his parents, having discovered the scheme, intervene just in time. In the end, he proves to be the most stable of their brood. He becomes an ordained minister, lovingly looks after his aging mother, and authors her biography.

SAMU EL C HARLES S TOWE is Harriet’s beloved “summer child.” His death from cholera at 18 months old is a key catalyst in the writing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

A RIDE FOR LIBERTY EASTMAN JOHNSON 1862

Captives Freed F R A N K I E is a former slave who runs the domestic hires of Harriet’s household. She courageously plunges herself into the perils that befall the Stowes, including the caretaking of the cholera-stricken Samuel. As Harriet writes Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Frankie’s revelations of her own painful past provide vivid portraits of slave life in Louisiana. She also gathers a network of former slaves who infuse the novel with irrefutable accuracy. Through Frankie’s eyes, we see the progress and setbacks experienced by black Americans in the 19th century. E L I Z A B U CK is the cook in the Stowe’s Cincinnati home. One day, the terror-stricken young woman bolts into Harriet’s parlor with dreadful news: she’s spotted her former master roaming the streets hoping to track her down. What’s more, the brutal man is the father of her children, whom he callously sold to fulfill debts. Calvin and Henry Ward arm themselves, hide Eliza in a wagon, and head toward Canada. Toward the end of their perilous journey, it’s ultimately Eliza’s courage and cunning that wins her complete freedom. Eliza provides the inspiration for the famous character of the same name in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. GEORGE, also a fugitive slave, braves the knee-deep snow as he trudges toward a two-story house in Brunswick, Maine. He’s been told the inhabitants are trustworthy and willing to help. He breathlessly knocks on the door. A woman answers: Harriet. Though aiding George is a crime punishable by imprisonment, all hands in the house unite in preparing him food and a bed. George paints for Harriet the disturbing scenes of plantation life. She opens up about her grief over Samuel and ultimately arranges safe passage for his trip to Canada. Like Eliza, George inspires an eponymous character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Famous Friends ABRAHAM LINCOLN’s initial preoccupation with preserving the Union rather than liberating the slaves infuriates abolitionists. When Lincoln summons Harriet to the White House, many have lost hope that he will sign the much-discussed Emancipation Proclamation. But, like Harriet, Lincoln has recently experienced the loss of a child and is struggling to make sense of it. Harriet, empathizing with his grief, urges him to sign the proclamation and give the North a righteous cause.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS, a fugitive slave turned abolitionist, is famous for his harrowing testimony and captivating speeches. His friendship with Harriet and firsthand knowledge of slave life proves invaluable to her work on Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which he praises as “a work of marvelous depth and power.” Harriet and Douglass are among a large gathering of abolitionists when Lincoln signs the proclamation. As the jubilant crowd chants her name, Harriet demurely gestures toward Douglass.

QU E E N VIC TORIA is a great admirer of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but political protocols bar her from formally accepting Harriet at court. Instead, she arranges to “run into” Harriet at a train station. In private conversation, Victoria awes Stowe with her insights about the novel, uncanny knowledge of the Beechers, and a gift: a gold bracelet in the form of a slave’s shackle. On it is engraved the date slavery was abolished in the British colonies. Next to that is a space reserved for the date when America will follow suit. After the war, Stowe adds America’s day of emancipation.

Famous Friends MARK TWAIN is Harriet’s next-door neighbor when he writes Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and when she battles dementia in her twilight years. Before that, he emerges as one of her few defenders after she stubbornly plunges herself into a potentially career-killing controversy involving Lady Byron. Despite his religious cynicism, he forms a fast friendship with Henry Ward -even occasionally visiting his Brooklyn Heights church. When scandal engulfs Henry Ward, Twain deploys his masterful and sarcasm-laden prose in defense of the embattled minister. But, as a trial progresses and evidence mounts, Twain’s faith in Henry’s innocence quickly fades.

L AD Y BYRON ’s friendship was particularly meaningful to Harriet, who in her youth adored the poetry and mythos of Lord Byron. Though occasionally cold and prim, the widow quickly bonds with Harriet and relates a shocking secret: despite persistent accusations that she left her late husband to swindle his fortune, the true cause of her departure was the poet’s affair with his sister. After Lady Byron’s death, a journalist slanders her with the usual accusations. Against the pleas of friends and family, Harriet rushes to Lady Byron’s defense by publishing the sordid secret. The backlash is immediate and severe and sets events in motion that will expose Henry.

VICTORIA WOODHULL is the most revolutionary and eccentric leader of the suffragettes. As a Marxist, eugenicist, free love, anti-marriage advocate and the first female candidate for U. S. President, her strident radicalism causes a schism in the women’s suffrage movement and the Beecher family. She claims to be a spiritualist medium able to commune with the dead and seems to have a hypnotic hold over Isabella. When Henry and Harriet emerge as her most prominent opponents, she publishes accusations of an affair between Henry and Elizabeth Tilton.

O T H ER F AMOU S F I GU RES : Authors: Charles Dickens and Nathaniel Hawthorne Suffragettes: Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton Abolitionists: Theodore Dwight Weld, William Lloyd Garrison and Sojourner Truth Poets: Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Redefining Controversy Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the most polarizing novel of the 19th century, and to this day it is still controversial, though the reasons why have significantly evolved. Most of the current controversies have little to do with the actual book or with Stowe herself. Without modern copyright protections, Uncle Tom was repeatedly presented to the public through offensive kitschy art and adaptations over which Stowe had no control. She is said to have snuck into a theatre to see a staged version of her work and to have left early in disgust. This, and her other unpleasant encounters with depictions of the book, will be dramatized. More legitimate criticisms of Uncle Tom’s Cabin will also be addressed within the series itself. Events and people will cause Harriet to contemplate to what extent her writing and good intentions may be tainted by the prejudices of her time. These controversies also lend themselves to powerful and universal themes: To what extent are we all tarnished by the injustices of our age? How will we be judged by future generations (if we’re remembered at all)? Are we obligated to speak the truth and fight for justice –even if we will inevitably do so imperfectly? Balancing authenticity with sensitivity, The Abolitionist will tell the story of an incredible but flawed woman who wrote a powerful but flawed work that changed the course of history.

1811

Harriet born in Litchfield, CT

1832-33 Moves to Cincinnati, OH

1849

1850-52

Samuel Charles dies

Moves to Maine, writes Uncle Tom's Cabin

Harriet

1857

Henry Ellis drowns, Dred Scott Supreme Court decision

US History

1831

Nat Turner rebellion

1836

Marries Calvin Stowe, starts family

1850

Fugitive Slave Act passed

1854

“Bleeding Kansas” battles over slavery

Franchise Potential Though The Abolitionist plays as a stand-alone miniseries, it features numerous well-known abolitionist characters, each with their own compelling biographies. Stowe’s story could be the first season of an anthology series devoted to the lives of famous abolitionists. Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, or even British abolitionists like William Wilberforce and John Newton - an “extended universe” could be formed in which their riveting and interwoven stories are brought to life.

1862

Meets with Lincoln

1861

Civil War starts

1863

1865

War ends, Lincoln assassinated

Emancipation Proclamation signed

1869

1873

Buys home next to Mark Twain in CT

Susan B. Anthony founds National Woman Suffrage Association

1875

1883

1896

Supreme Court legalizes Harriet dies racial segregation

Henry Ward's adultery scandal

1886-87 Calvin Stowe and Henry Ward die

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wrote what I did because as a woman, as a mother, I was oppressed and broken-hearted with the sorrows and injustice I saw; because as a Christian, I felt the dishonor to Christianity; because as a lover of my country, I trembled at the coming day of wrath." -Â Harriet Beecher Stowe

Finding Faith

hristian faith was integral to the activism and identity of Harriet Beecher Stowe. The historical-yet-topical nature of this series provides a unique opportunity to attract audiences who share her beliefs without alienating those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.

Millions of Americans consider faith to be an important part of their lives, and many are asking how their values can positively impact race relations. More and more sermons, articles, books, and blogs are being dedicated to the topic as Christians ask themselves the very question Harriet asked herself: What can I do? Christians across America will deeply identify with Harriet and be inspired as her convictions spur her fight for justice. Moreover, our teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience and expertise in faith-based media uniquely positions us to galvanize prominent faith leaders and influencers throughout the country who could rally Christians around this project.