Born in Eatonton, Harris grew up during the antebellum days of Georgia plantations. His mentor, Joseph Addison Turner, held one of the larger plantations in Putnam County and ran the paper where Harris received his early training. It was on Turner's plantation, Turnwold, that Harris learned the folk lore of American Slaves, which he would later incorporate into his tales. Harris left Putnam County in 1866 and worked for newspapers in Savannah and New Orleans before landing a job with the Atlanta Constitution in 1879. Among the book written by Harris are:

• Uncle Remus (1881)
• Free Joe and other Georgian Sketches (1887)
• The Tar Baby (1904)
• Mingo and other sketches in Black and White (1884)
• Br'er Rabbit (1906)