Women Making History: Julia Ward Howe

Those who recognize the name Julia Ward Howe probably think of her as the author of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." However, in her time she was noted as a speaker, writer, and activist. She was born in 1819 to a wealthy New York City family. Her mother died when she was young, and her strict Calvinist father raised her and her siblings.

She received more education than most women in her time, both at home and in private schools, and was fluent in several languages and well versed in music and literature. By the time she was 20, she had published anonymous literary criticism in multiple journals.

In 1939, while mourning the death of her father, Julia examined her spirituality and turned toward Unitarianism. Over the next few years, she met several notable Unitarians, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and noted blind teacher Samuel Gridley Howe. She and Howe married in 1843. Over the next twelve years, the couple had five children.

During the early years of her marriage, though her husband did not approve, Julia continued to write, having poems published in two anthologies in 1848 and in 1854 published her own anonymous poetry book, Passion Flowers. As her identity as the author of Passion Flowers, which was well-reviewed, became a more open secret, Julia's husband became more and more displeased with her writing. The couple considered divorce but remained married, mostly for the sake of their younger children. Julia continued to write, publishing another book of poetry, Words for the Hour, shortly followed by her play, The World's Own, in 1857. In 1960, she wrote a piece for the New York Tribune about a trip to Cuba.