Julia Ward Howe, social activist and poet

1819 Julia Ward Howe (d. October 17, 1910), prominent United States abolitionist, social activist, pacifist and poet.

Howe was the author of 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' which was first published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862 and quickly became one of the most popular songs for the Union during the American Civil War.

Despite the bloodthirstiness of 'Battle Hymn of the Republic', after the war Howe focused her activities on the causes of pacifism and women's suffrage. In 1870 she was the first to proclaim Mothers' Day [qv], which was originally an occasion specifically for strenuous and organized opposition to war.

Early progressives in the Book of Days



Categories: usa, pacifism, war, peace, progressive, radical, radical-history, biography