Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Harriet Beecher Stowe, through her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, helped to bring slavery out of political and social avoidance into the forefront of political and social focus.   This paper will address how Stowe effectively utilized her characters to personalize the issue of slavery to her audience and demonstrate how even humane slave-owners contributed to the desolate lives of the slaves.   Stowe brought the hardships of the slaves to her readers, visually and emotionally, radically affecting their perceptions about the institution of slavery.   Because Stowe brought indignation and enlightenment to the citizens of the country as to the evils of slavery, she contributed to the movement to free the slaves, which, among other factors, led to the Civil War.
Beginning in 1619 in Virginia, slave traders who came to America became wealthy selling slaves in both northern and southern colonies/states.   While slave labor was utilized in both the north and south, the northern states eventually realized that slavery was not profitable in its industrial economy and slavery disappeared in the early 19th century.   Due to the agriculturally based economy in the south, the southern plantation owners increasingly depended on slave labor to earn a living.    
Escalating conflict on the issue of slavery existed between the north and south, especially among politicians.   The north thought slavery was cruel and inhumane and made efforts to abolish slavery, even in defiance of fugitive slave laws.   The south contended the north knew nothing of its agricultural economy and fought vigorously to maintain slavery.   Politicians tried to underscore the issue of slavery and the increasing concerns of secession through compromise, the North wanting the federal government to end slavery and the South insisting that issue of slavery fell within the state’s rights purview.
Legislation, such as the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, was an attempt to appease the north and the...