THE INFLUENCE OF UNCLE TOM’S CABIN

Running head: THE INFLUENCE OF UNCLE TOM’S CABIN

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THE INFLUENCE OF UNCLE TOM’S CABIN

The Influence of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Tasha Smith

LIB 315

06/13/2016

Hope Umansky

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is undoubtedly very inspiring and inciting at the same time. It changed the course of U.S. history.

Uncle Stowe novel reflects on her culture and also influences it in many ways. He illustrates slavery effects on families and by so doing help readers sympathize with those under slavery. The characters in the story talked about the issue of slavery freely and openly and also debated without fear the slave law. The book focused more on an end to slavery through vehement cry for freedom. The story could be credited for the civil war that upraised at the period.

The civil war was beating one section of the country against the other and it almost brought United States to its knees, this war was mostly caused by the story and it showed the impact the story had on the mainstream society. The book personalized slavery and economic difference among races and this accelerated the civil war uprising. The way the story was drafted inspired the people more than any other way be it political or other means of influence.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin had many influence in American culture. It put the human face on those that were victim of slavery. It stresses the effects of slavery on families and educating the public on the plight of enslaved mothers and the need to sympathize with them.

It influenced white women who were the main audience, thus bringing guilt upon them by playing to their emotions. The story exposes the real characters who suffer due to slavery. The story was influential in the sense that it made readers view slavery form the point of view of the victims. The novel provoked emotions and drew quilt among them and thus seeing how slavery destroys other people’s lives.

The novel had political influence too. This was evident in her meeting with Lincoln in 1862. Lincoln told her that it was her book that caused the great uprising in American history. It meant politician also read the book and understand the magnitude of its influence. Everybody saw and understood that Stowe’s novel was a revolutionary. The timing was also very critical because it perfectly fits the moral and humane need of the time.

The impact was spontaneous and it cuts across. It was banned in some parts of the country because of the impact. It influenced Lenin when he was a youth though it was banned in Russia. Woodrow Wilson also stated that the book had a greatest effect in the creation of anti-slavery party. Some likened martin Luther to Uncle Tom.

I don’t think there is any negative influence the story had on the American culture. It drove everything towards a positive change and brought to an end the slavery in the long run. It was positive in that sense because there is no way slavery could be justified. The novel still inspire people to today and in most cases it becomes point of reference to condemn unjust laws in the land.