Today in Black History: March 20th
1852 – Uncle Tom’s Cabin Is Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published on March 20, 1852. The novel exposed the brutal realities of slavery, stirring national debate and fueling abolitionist movements. The novel follows Uncle Tom, a kind, faithful enslaved man who endures cruelty and sacrifice. Stowe’s vivid storytelling humanized enslaved people for Northern readers and provoked outrage in the South.
Selling over 300,000 copies its first year, the book became one of the most influential works in American history. President Lincoln reportedly called Stowe “the little lady who started this great war.” Its legacy endures as a powerful catalyst for social change and a milestone in American literature.
1910 – Allan Rohan Crite Is Born
Allan Rohan Crite, born on March 20, 1910 was raised in Boston and trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts where he earned a BA from Harvard Extension School in 1968. He worked as an illustrator for the Boston Naval Shipyards until 1976, while also painting scenes of Boston’s African-American community. His early work portrayed daily life with authenticity, aiming to show the “real Negro” rather than stereotypes.
Later, Crite’s art took on religious themes, blending bright colors and magic-realist imagery, such as Black Madonnas floating above city streets. In the 1950s, he lectured on liturgical art and published illustrated theological books celebrating Black spirituality.
1915 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe Is Born
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, born Rosetta Nubin on March 20, 1915, in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, was a groundbreaking guitarist, pianist, arranger, singer, and lyricist. Taught by her mother from age three, she toured with revival groups by six. In the 1930s, Tharpe moved to Harlem, signed with Decca Records, and performed with legends like Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman. Her 1944 hit “Strange Things Happening Every Day” became the first gospel song to chart on Billboard.
Tharpe married Russell Morrison in 1951, with 25,000 fans attending their concert-wedding. She toured Europe, performed at Newport Folk Festival, and died in 1973, later honored in both the Blues and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame.
