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JULIA WARD HOWE : 1900 HANDWRITTEN AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED BY FAMED ABOLITIONIST, ACTIVIST FOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE AND AUTHOR OF THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC [ALS]

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is an ORIGINAL 1900 HANDWRITTEN AND SIGNED LETTER FROM JULIA WARD HOWE. Notably, Howe wrote the famous "Battle Hymn of the Republic" which emerged as the most popular song during the Civil War. This classic anthem has since become embedded into American culture. Dated "241 Beacon, Jan 18th, 1900" and addressed to "Miss Barrows," Howe writes: How kind of you to send me your charming little volume on Eggs! I value it very much, and hope to study it with some profit..." Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet who is best remembered as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Born New York City, she was the fourth of six children born to wealthy banker Samuel Ward and Julia Rush Cutler. Her paternal grandfather was Samuel Ward (1756-1839), a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army during the revolutionary War. In 1843, she married a hero of the Greek revolution, physician Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe who founded the Perkins Institute for the Blind. The couple and their six children resided in South Boston, where they were active in the Free Soil Party. After the war, Howe focused her efforts on the causes of Pacifism and women's suffrage. The Battle Hymn of the Republic is a timeless patriotic anthem made popular during the Civil War. Howe set her lyrics to William Steffe's already-existing music. First published in the "Atlantic Monthly" in 1862, it quickly became one of the most popular songs for the Union. A man from from Vermont named Thomas Bishop had joined the Massachusetts Infantry before the outbreak of war and wrote a popular set of lyrics titled "John Brown's Body," which became one of his unit's walking songs. Bishop's Battalion was dispatched to Washington, D.C. in 1862. Returning from a public review of the troops, Julia Ward Howe sang with them. Her companion, the Reverend James Clarke, suggested that she write new words for the fighting men's song, and the popular version of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was born. The song has since become an iconic classic. It was played at the funerals of Robert F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, and presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, to name but a few. "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck and "In the Beauty of the Lilies" by John Updike are among prominent novels that take their titles from the hymn. Even Elvis Presley was influenced by it, featuring the hymn's chorus in his famous "An American Trilogy." Rare letter remains in very good condition. Some light wear noted, creased at folds, etc. Ink remains bold and legible throughout. Two-sided letter measures approx 6 1/4" x 7".. Manuscript. Book Condition: Fine

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