74 pages • 2 hours read
Uncle Tom's Cabin
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
American author Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly was published in 1852 after having originally appeared as forty weekly installments in the abolitionist periodical The National Era beginning in June of 1851. It was not intended to become a full-length novel, but its huge popularity led a publisher to contact Stowe and convince her to expand it. Though already an active abolitionist, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was the impetus for Stowe to write the novel, which became a symbol of the power of literature in social reform. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the nineteenth century and was only outsold by the Bible. The novel became a cultural phenomenon, spawning “Uncle Tom Plays” and giving birth to character tropes “Uncle Tom,” “Topsy,” “Simon Legree,” and others. The novel was banned in many of the Southern states and later in the Confederacy. Its popularity helped spread and strengthen the abolitionist movement throughout the Union. In spite of its role in the anti-slavery movement, the book is not without controversy. It is critiqued for perpetuating racial stereotypes; these negative connections often overshadow its historical significance.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is comprised of two occasionally intersecting plots following Unlock all 74 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
