Uncle Tom’s Cabin

The book that spurred America’s abolitionist movement.

Introduction

Sometimes people can easily overlook the value of fictional writing. Though fictional works often hold the most important keys to our culture. The purpose of my writing is to demonstrate how even a fictional piece of literature, like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, can shape the mindset of a country and alter the course of history. Artists are constantly representing our cultural changes within their work. Fiction has the power to change people’s values and how they see the world. Uncle Tom’s Cabin had a profound impact on how people viewed slavery.

About the Author

Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, was born on June 14, 1811. She was one of 11 children who all had a great desire to shape the world around them, and “Harriet believed her purpose in life was to write” (Childhood & Education, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center). Through her works, readers can see how successful she was with this, most significantly by how she changed millions of individuals’ opinions on slavery by granting the reality that slaves experienced at the time.

In Stowe’s early life experiences, we can also see many of her motivations for writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Stowe experiences similar conditions to that of slave mothers and witnesses the rigid and brutal work slaves are put to at plantations. In 1849 Harriet Stowe lost her son, which she believed must be similar to the heartache slave mothers would repeatedly feel throughout their lives when their sons are taken to be sold (Childhood & Education, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center).

About the Book

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, initially published in 1851, follows the story of a good Christian slave, Uncle Tom. When his farm’s owner is falling into debt, he sadly has to leave his family and gets on track to be sold at a slave market. He befriends a young girl named Eva St. Clare during his travels, who he saves from a dangerous accident on the river, and whose father would eventually buy Uncle Tom.

After spending two years with the St. Clare’s, Eva would become sick and pass away. She left her dad with one wish, to free the slaves on his farm. While settling an argument, Mr. St. Clare would also lose his life, leaving his wife to sell the slaves to a local unliked plantation owner, Simon Legree. Uncle Tom would overcome the hardship on this plantation and use his time to help and encourage other slaves to escape. He would be highly successful and help many people have the chance to begin their own lives. Eventually, Uncle Tom would be directed to be beaten, as he refused to give up where the escaped slaves have gone to.

Legacy

The story of Uncle Tom genuinely connected with people in a close and familiar way. “Stowe’s vivid characters and portrayal of their struggles opened reader’s eyes to the realities of slavery and the humanity of enslaved people” (Her Words Changed the World, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center). It created more abolitionists than ever before by making people see how slavery is morally wrong instead of an economic institution.

It is evident that Uncle Tom’s Cabin had a huge presence when considering the beginning of the Civil War. The book blew up in the early years that it was published and had over 3 million books sold by the start of the Civil War (Today in History-June 5, Library of Congress). While this is an extremely impressive statistic, what may be more critical is how popular the book was in not only the United States but also Great Britain. Stowe’s book actually sold better abroad than in the United States, Great Britain being home to over 1.5 million copies in a year. (Her Words Changed the World, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center).

The story of Uncle Tom’s Cabin caused individuals worldwide to become sympathetic to slaves and realize why it was so terrible. The novel changed attitudes worldwide, but let’s remember the one that matters, Great Britain. Previously the South was highly self-sustainable as they sold cotton all around the world, especially to Great Britain. The South always depended on Great Britain to come if help was needed during the Civil War. Though due to the new attitudes created by Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Britain did not approve of the practices in the South and searched for other sources for their resources. Along with this, Great Britain would not offer any assistance in the Civil War.

Works Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Harriet Beecher Stowe”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Jun. 2021, www.britannica.com/biography/Harriet-Beecher-Stowe. Accessed 30 October 2021.

Burns, Anthony, and John Andrews. “Today in History — June 5: Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-05/.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. “Harriet Beecher Stowe: Life.” Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/harriet-beecher-stowe/harriet-beecher-stowe-life/

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. “Her Words Changed the World.” Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/harriet-beecher-stowe/her-global-impact/.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. “Spirits at Stowe: An Otherwordly Tour.” Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/spirits-at-stowe/

Marian S. Carson Collection. “Pictures and Stories from Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97181918/

Sparknotes Authors. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin Full Book Summary.” Sparknotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/uncletom/summary/.