Julia Ward Howe

Julia Ward Howe was born on May 27, 1819, in New York City. She was one of seven children. Her father was a rich banker who was very strict about religion and rules. Julia's mother died when Julia was only five years old.

Even though girls did not get much schooling back then, Julia was lucky. She had teachers and went to school until she was sixteen. She learned languages, music, and books. She could not go to college because she was a girl, so she taught herself many things by reading. When she was young, she began writing poems and articles, but she did not use her real name.

In 1843, Julia married Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe. He was a famous doctor who helped blind people. They moved to Boston and had six children. Samuel did not like it when Julia wrote about marriage or acted too independent. He wanted her to stay quiet and follow old rules for women. This caused many arguments between them.

In 1854, Julia wrote a book of poems called "Passion-Flowers." She published it without her name on it. People guessed she wrote it. The poems talked about problems in marriage. This made some people upset, especially her husband. But the book made Julia famous as a writer.

During the Civil War, Julia visited soldiers near Washington, D.C. One night in November 1861, she heard soldiers singing a song called "John Brown's Body." She wrote new words for the song. Her new words became "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." It was printed in a magazine in 1862. Soldiers sang it, and it became one of the most famous songs in America.

After the war, Julia worked for peace. In 1870, she wrote something called the Mother's Day Proclamation. She asked mothers everywhere to work together for peace instead of war. This was an early step toward the Mother's Day we know today.

Julia also fought for women's right to vote. She helped start a group called the American Woman Suffrage Association. She helped run a newspaper called The Woman's Journal for about twenty years. She gave many speeches about women's rights and peace.

In 1908, Julia became the first woman ever chosen for the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This was a big honor that showed people respected her work.

Julia's husband died in 1876. After that, she had more freedom to work and travel. Several of her children became writers too. Julia moved away from her father's strict religious beliefs and became part of a more open faith called Unitarianism. She believed everyone deserved respect and kindness.

Julia Ward Howe died on October 17, 1910, in Rhode Island. She was ninety-one years old. She was buried in Massachusetts.

Today, people remember Julia for her famous song, her work for women's rights, and her work for peace. She showed that women could be strong writers and leaders, even when many people did not think so.