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Uncle Tom's Cabin Thesis

948 Words4 Pages

Isabel Leatherman
Mrs. Trahan
English 8
19 March 2017
Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was one of the most powerful abolitionist of the Civil War era. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote her novel in hope that it would bring slavery to a quick, nonviolent end (Clendenning). She saw slavery as more of a religious problem than a political problem. Harriet Beecher Stowe wanted people to feel sympathy for African-Americans (VonFrank.). Through her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, she was able to accomplish this goal and help end slavery. The issue of slavery began in 1619 when African slaves were brought into Jamestown, Virginia. They worked with crops such as tobacco. In 1793, the cotton gin was invented. This device was used to …show more content…

She wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852 (Tackach). Its first appearance was in an abolitionist magazine called National Era (Clendenning). The novel was written in response to the Fugitive Slave Act (VonFrank). The plot of her book begins with the Shelby family having to sell slaves for economic reasons. They do not want to sell any slaves, but they end up selling Uncle Tom and Harry. The story tells about the journey that they faced (Tackach, James). It tells about the bravery of Uncle Tom, who dies instead of betraying fellow slaves. This novel created a realistic image of life in the South. It also gave a great picture of life about 10 years before the Civil War (Clendenning). The story of Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped people realize how badly slaves suffered. The book was a major success. Three thousand copies were sold on the first day (“Harriet Beecher Stowe Changed History”). The success was a surprise because anti-slavery fiction did not usually sell well. Also, Harriet Beecher Stowe was not an established writer. The book had such an impact that Abraham Lincoln claimed it was partially responsible for starting the Civil War …show more content…

Many people felt sympathy for the book’s main character named Uncle Tom. It was the second best-selling novel of the nineteenth century next to the Bible. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is taught in colleges around the world (Tackach). It has been translated into 20 languages, and more than three million copies were sold around the world (“Harriet Beecher Stowe Changed History”). Most libraries in America have this amazing book on its shelf (Tackach). The incredible impact of this book brought awareness of the evils of slavery to America and helped shape our country’s

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