Julia Ward Howe

Julia Ward Howe – Life, Activism, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life, work, and enduring legacy of Julia Ward Howe — American activist, poet, suffragist, and author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Discover her activism, philosophy, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Julia Ward Howe (May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was a seminal figure in 19th-century America: a poet, writer, lecturer, abolitionist, women’s rights advocate, and pacifist. She is perhaps best known for penning the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which became a Civil War anthem. Over her long life, she pursued social justice, peace, and the advancement of women’s rights, combining literary voice with political action. Today, her words and deeds remain a source of inspiration for those who believe in moral courage, equality, and the power of conviction.

Early Life and Family

Julia Ward was born on May 27, 1819, in New York City, the fourth of seven children.

After her mother’s death, Julia’s upbringing fell partly to an aunt and her education was managed by private tutors and elite schools for young ladies.

Financially privileged, Julia enjoyed access to books, languages, and liberal ideas. She gradually shaped a strong reading habit and intellectual curiosity.

Youth, Education & Marriage

Julia’s formal education was not through universities but through tutors, language study, literature, and her own self?directed reading.

In 1843 she married Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, a prominent reformer and director of the Perkins Institution for the Blind, though he was nearly two decades older than she.

In these years, she continued to write plays, poems, essays, and critiques (some published anonymously) in the face of domestic constraints.

Career, Activism & Achievements

Literary and Poetic Work

Julia Ward Howe’s first volume of poetry, Passion-Flowers (1854), was published anonymously. Words for the Hour followed in 1857. Leonore: The World’s Own) and essays that critiqued women’s roles and social norms.

Perhaps her most enduring work is the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (1861). During the Civil War, inspired by the conflict and moral fervor of her era, Howe reworked the existing tune of “John Brown’s Body” into a stirring hymn that expressed her abolitionist convictions. The Atlantic Monthly in 1862 and quickly became widely known.

She also engaged in travel writing (e.g. From the Oak to the Olive), biographies (e.g. Margaret Fuller), essays like Modern Society, and her memoir Reminiscences: 1819–1899.

Remarkably, she left behind a more controversial, unpublished manuscript The Hermaphrodite, written circa 1846–47, which was posthumously published (from fragments) in 2004.

Abolitionism, Peace, and Women’s Rights

Howe’s social activism was multifaceted:

• Civil War & Sanitary Commission: During the Civil War, she volunteered with the U.S. Sanitary Commission, advocating improved conditions in hospitals and support for soldiers.

• Women’s Suffrage & Club Movement: After the war, Julia became more deeply involved in women’s rights. She co-founded the New England Women’s Club and the New England Woman Suffrage Association around 1868. American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) in 1869, which supported the 15th Amendment (granting African American men the vote).

• She edited the suffrage journal Woman’s Journal for about 20 years, shaping public discourse on women’s rights.

• Peace & Pacifism: In 1870, Howe issued her Mother’s Day Proclamation, calling women across nations to “Disarm! Disarm!” and work for peace rather than war.

• Organizational Leadership & Education: She helped found the Association for the Advancement of Women (1873) and participated in the Federation of Women’s Clubs and educational initiatives to expand women’s access to professional life.

In 1908, at age 88, Julia became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Historical Context & Social Influence

Julia Ward Howe lived during one of the most turbulent periods in U.S. history: from antebellum America through the Civil War and Reconstruction, into the rise of the women’s suffrage movement. Her life intersected with multiple reform currents: abolitionism, temperance, women’s rights, and peace activism.

Her lyrical moral voice—most powerfully in The Battle Hymn of the Republic—helped fuse religious sentiment, national identity, and moral conviction during the Civil War. The hymn became a rallying song of Union troops and has remained a staple of American cultural memory.

In women’s reform circles, Howe’s bridge-building approach—supporting suffrage for women while valuing alliance with other reform movements—positioned her as a respected elder stateswoman in the cause. She navigated complexities such as race, class, and national identity in her activism.

Her Mother’s Day Proclamation especially underscores how she envisioned women not only as caregivers but as moral actors in public life, capable of intervening to stop war and violence.

Her influence extended to later feminist, peace, and educational organizations; many clubs and institutions (schools, women's clubs) still bear her name.

Legacy and Enduring Impact

Julia Ward Howe’s legacy is multifaceted:

• Cultural & Literary: The Battle Hymn of the Republic remains one of the most recognizable American songs, frequently performed and referenced in times of national reflection.

• Women’s Rights: She helped institutionalize women’s clubs and suffrage organizations, played leadership roles, and shaped feminist discourse through Woman’s Journal.

• Peace & Moral Voice: Her early call for a Mothers’ Day of peace shows how she connected gender, morality, and public ethics—her ideals continue to resonate in peace and feminist movements.

• Recognition: She was the first woman in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame posthumously, and honored with schools and memorials bearing her name.

• Inspiration: Her ability to combine literature with activism, to persist in a time when women’s public roles were limited, offers a model for moral leadership and creative courage.

Famous Quotes of Julia Ward Howe

Here are several quotes attributed to Julia Ward Howe, reflecting her convictions, poetic sensibility, and moral intensity:

• “The strokes of the pen need deliberation as much as the sword needs swiftness.”

• “Disarm, disarm. The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.”

• “Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.”

• “Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters, to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone bear and know the cost?”

• “Any religion which sacrifices women to the brutality of men is no religion.”

• “I think nothing is religion which puts one individual absolutely above others, and surely nothing is religion which puts one sex above another.”

• “Ambitious people climb, but faithful people build.”

• “I shall stick to my resolution of writing always what I think no matter whom it offends.”

Additionally, the opening lines of The Battle Hymn of the Republic remain among her most quoted legacy:

“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.”

Lessons from Julia Ward Howe

1. Moral conviction can be a form of art
   Howe’s life shows that writing, poetry, and speech are not separable from political action—they are powerful tools to inspire change.

2. Persistence through constraint
   Despite societal expectations, personal sacrifices, and opposition (even from within her marriage), she persevered in public life and activism.

3. Bridge-building & intersectionality
   She navigated complex issues—such as supporting black male suffrage while promoting women’s rights—with nuance, striving to balance progress across movements.

4. Women as agents of peace
   Her Mother’s Day Proclamation reimagined women not as passive victims but as moral actors capable of intervening in the most violent affairs of states.

5. Evolving with purpose
   Over decades, Howe adapted her focus—from literary work, to war service, to suffrage and peace—while maintaining integrity and consistency in her core values.

Conclusion

Julia Ward Howe stands as a towering figure in American letters and reform. She bridged the often separate worlds of literature, social justice, and spiritual conscience. Her voice, in poems and in speeches, continues to challenge assumptions about power, gender, war, and moral responsibility.

To understand her is to see how one person’s pen can echo through generations. May her example encourage us to speak boldly, to build institutions of justice, and to remain steadfast in the face of resistance.

— Explore more of her writings, such as Reminiscences, Woman’s Journal, and her speeches, to journey further into the mind of this extraordinary woman.