Cover of Uncle
Tom's Cabin
by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Engraving from of
Uncle Tom's Cabin
by illustrator Hammatt Billings
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Who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Uncle Tom's Cabin
was an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher
Stowe. The original title was 'Life Among the Lowly'.
When did Harriet Beecher
Stowe write Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Uncle Tom's Cabin
was by Harriet Beecher Stowe between 1850-1852.
Uncle
Tom’s Cabin was developed from June 1851 to April 1852
as a series of regular installments in a Washington, DC,
abolitionist weekly paper called The National Era, whose
editor was Gamaliel Bailey. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was then
published as a two volume novel by John P. Jewett and
Company of Cleveland Ohio on March 20, 1852. The book
became a best seller and the story of Uncle Tom's Cabin was
dramatization by G. L. Aiken and the play was staged at
the National Theatre in the summer of 1853.
Uncle Tom's Cabin for
kids:
Anti-slavery Propaganda
Anti-slavery propaganda by journalists, authors and
illustrators was one of the methods used by the
1830 Abolitionist Movement who wanted to abolish
slavery.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
for kids:
The Underground Railway
The
Underground Railroad had been established in1832
to provided money, clothes, transport and safe houses to
facilitate the escape of slaves from their harsh lives
of unpaid toil in the southern plantations.
Why did Harriet Beecher
Stowe write Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Harriet Beecher
Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin
following the passing
of a more stringent
Fugitive Slave Act in 1850.
The 1850
Fugitive Slave Act was passed on September 18, 1850, was
part of the
Compromise of 1850
and included as a concession to the South, increasing penalties
against fugitive slaves and the people who helped them.
The penalties for
helping slaves were increased to $1000 and six
months in jail.
Who are the Main
Characters in
Uncle Tom's Cabin?
A short summary and
overview of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" are detailed via
Uncle Tom's Cabin Summary.
Who are the main characters in Uncle Tom's Cabin? The main
characters who feature in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" are Uncle Tom (slave),
Simon Legree (vicious slave owner), Eva St. Clare (angelic white
girl), Miss Ophelia (bigoted white woman), Arthur Shelby (kindly
slave owner), George Shelby (Abolitionist), Augustine St. Clare
(kind slave owner), Topsy (slave), Cassy (slave) and Eliza (slave).
Harriet Beecher Stowe also provides and
example of the 'Hiring-out
system' in which Tom's wife goes to work for a baker in
order to raise the money to buy Uncle Tom back.
Illustrator of
Uncle Tom's Cabin: Hammatt Billings
The
illustrator of Uncle Tom's Cabin was Hammatt Billings
(1818–1874). The picture of the engraving features a
scene from the book and shows the characters of Eliza,
Harry, Chloe, Uncle Tom, and Old Bruno. Hammatt Billings
was a member of the
Abolitionist Movement and had produced pictures in
1850 for the famous William Lloyd Garrison’s
abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator producing scenes
using antislavery iconography to portray the lives of
slaves, the slave trade and the slave auctions. His most
famous work were the line drawings used to illustrate
Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Uncle Tom's Cabin:
Religion and Women's Rights
The
Illustrations used in Uncle Tom's Cabin were extremely
important, inspiring and helping readers to visualize
the horrors of slavery. The pictures not only contained
antislavery iconography but also contained religious
iconography and religious symbolism. The
Second Great Awakening
was a was a
Christian revivalist movement that sparked zealous
social reformation such as the Anti-Slavery Abolitionist
movement. The
social pressure groups sought to awaken the consciences
of people to reform society which included supporting
the rights for women. The rights of women are also
alluded to in Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Uncle Tom's Cabin by
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was a social reformer who advocated the rights
of slaves and believed in the rights of women. She was also
extremely religious and the ideals of the Christian faith are
reflected by her evangelical fervor in the story of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Harriet Beecher Stowe was a gifted writer and readers of her work
were moved to tears by the tales of cruelty towards the characters
who were featured in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the impact of slavery
on families. However, the book was balanced and it presented some of
the favorable aspects of slavery and the kindness of some slave
owners, but it also crystallized the sentiments of the North.
The Effect of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Fugitive Slave Law convinced the people of
the North that bounds must be set to the extension of slavery and
contributed to the
Causes of
the Civil War. The
informal, conversational writing style adopted by Harriet Beecher
Stowe in Uncle Tom's Cabin personalized the political and economic
arguments about slavery and enabled readers to emphasize with the
plight of the slave characters. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher
Stowe contributed to the outbreak of the
American Civil war (1861-1865) but also changed
opinions towards slavery throughout the world. President Abraham
Lincoln is reported to have greeted Harriet Beecher Stowe ten years
after the publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" saying "So you're
the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war." The
book of Uncle Tom's Cabin was translated into sixty different
languages and is still read in college and high schools exploring
the history and issues of race, religion and gender.
Black
History for kids: Important People and Events
For visitors interested in African American History
refer to Black History -
People and Events.
A useful resource for
teachers, kids, schools and colleges undertaking projects for the
Black History Month.
Uncle Tom's Cabin for kids - President Millard Fillmore Video
The article on
Uncle Tom's Cabin provides an overview of one of the Important
events of his presidential term in office. The following
Millard Fillmore video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 13th American President whose presidency spanned from July 9, 1850 to March 4, 1853.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
●
Interesting Facts about Uncle Tom's Cabin for kids and schools
●
History and facts about Uncle Tom's Cabin in US history
●
Uncle Tom's Cabin, a Important
event in US history
● Effects and
Significance of Uncle Tom's Cabin
●
Fast, fun, interesting facts about this famous American
book
● History of Uncle Tom's Cabin
and Harriet Beecher Stowe
● Uncle Tom's Cabin for schools,
homework, kids and children
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