30

1877 American Abolitionist JULIA WARD HOWE Autograph Letter Signed

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 600.00 USD
1877 American Abolitionist JULIA WARD HOWE Autograph Letter Signed
Autographs
1877 JULIA WARD HOWE Autograph Letter Signed
JULIA WARD HOWE (1819-1910). American Abolitionist, Social Activist, and Poet, most famous as the Author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1862); Howe also co-founded the “American Woman Suffrage Association” and was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1908 and championed Votes for Women.
June 29, 1877-Dated, Autograph Letter Signed, “Julia Ward Howe”, 3 pages, measuring 5” x 8”, from Russell, NY, Choice Extremely Fine. Howe writes to a Mr. Bicknell concerning current social matters, and the return of an item. Lightly folded from mailing. Cleanly handwritten in rich brown ink on clean glossy wove period paper. Conclusion written on the reverse side of the first page horizontally, allowing for a massive full signature “Julia Ward Howe” measuring 3.25” long.
During the Civil War, Howe worked for the US Sanitary Commission, which promoted clean and hygienic conditions for soldiers and hospitals. In 1862, Atlantic Monthly published Howe’s poem, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which brought lasting fame and is considered the Union’s Civil War anthem.

After the war, an active clubwoman, Howe established and led major women’s organizations. She championed the vote for women, helping to found the New England Suffrage Association in 1868, as well as the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) divided over whether to support the 15th Amendment, which promised voting rights for black men but not all women. Howe joined Lucy Stone in founding the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which championed the Fifteenth Amendment, and broke with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s NWSA. Howe also helped establish the AWSA’s newspaper, the Woman’s Journal, which she edited for 20 years. In 1889, the groups reunited as the National American Woman Suffrage Association with the singular goal of votes for women.

Howe also became a peace advocate, presiding over the Women’s International Peace Association in 1871. Known as the “Dearest Old Lady in America,” she lectured widely, particularly for the Unitarian Church, founding clubs wherever she went. In 1873, she organized the Association for the Advancement of Women to improve women’s education and entry into the professions.

After her husband’s death in 1876, Howe wrote a flattering biography of him, despite his deathbed confession of multiple adulterous affairs. She continued to publish poems, essays, and books throughout the 1880s and was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1908. She also received an honorary degree from Smith College.