The True Story of Uncle Tom's Cabin - Research Paper Example

 Uncle Tom’s Cabin Introduction Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1852 and a series events that many Americans believed were triggered by the novel followed, including what many to this day believe, was the American civil war. The book revolves around one major character Tom; a slave deeply rooted in his Christian values and virtues much to the disgust of his masters. Tom conveys a message to the slaveholders though not in word that slavery was evil and that Christian love should be embraced. It was published immediately after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 which advocated for continued mistreatment of slaves (Stowe et al, p 12)1. In the subsequent press releases, the book was dismissed by pro-slavery advocates as a mere fiction and of no consequence at all. These were mainly Southerners. On the other hand the more abolitionists north embraced it and looked at it as a platform upon which liberation from slavery should have been fought. The novel sensitized and persuaded the Northern that slavery was evil and had to be fought. Moral aspect of Uncles Tom’s Cabin to Slavery There are several immoralities always committed in everyday life and then justified them as morally right by backing them up with elements of moral characters to make them appear right in the eyes of man. However, covering up immoral actions by some insignificant moral behavior does not justify the inhuman act committed. Stowe in her book gives examples of two slave masters’ families who portray the image of good and humane slave owners. In the Arthur Shelby’s and Augustine St. Clare’s homes, there is a rare show of kindness and fair treatment of their slaves in trying to justify the evil lifestyle. They do not show any form of abuse or mistreatment to their slaves, an act that was quite rare at the time. So the fact that they owned slaves themselves makes them look hypocritical and very weak in morals (Meer, p 46)2. Stowe also tries to expose the reality to the Northerners that slavery is evil whether with good intentions. A slave may be paid or treated well but they still remain slaves, because their masters may pay well but still make sure they reaps bigger benefits from slaves. “These two masters tried to be good as much as possible to their slaves to create a disparity between them and other slave masters by being moderate to their slaves. This is the best and the furthest it can go with slaves”, the book points out. In extreme contrast to the soft treatment of slaves by the two slave masters, Stowe goes on to expose the harshest form of slavery at the Simon Legree’s Plantation. In this plantation, slaves are treated as less of human beings and more of animals. There is sexual molestation and abuse, very poor living conditions and extreme use of force in execution of labor, which sometimes leads to death. Slavery has always been about inflicting pain on others by subjecting them to forced labor and other forms of vices to instill fear in them, thus intimidating them from protesting the harsh living and working conditions. This was the real meaning of slavery because they had no rights at all and could note voice any abuse, however severe. Slaves lived and survived at the pleasure of their merciless Southern masters. It is the plantation set up that fueled the demand of the abolition of slavery more than moderate environment of the Arthur Shelby and Augustine St. Clare families. This can well be taken to be what fuelled John Brown’s actions to take over Harpers Ferry in the 1859 raid and the subsequent civil war between the north and south the decade that followed the publication of the book. In newspaper releases, the more liberal abolitionists still felt the book was not informative enough in its quest to expose and end slavery, although it motivated the northerners to stand up and demand for the freedom of slaves in the South. On the other hand the more moderate abolitionists lauded the book as having some human face to it. This is proved somehow Tom’s inability to speak against slavery but surrender to fate and falls back to comfort to his life as slave. Moral aspect of Uncles Tom’s Cabin to Slavery Harriet Stowe’ book by no means opened the Northerners eyes to the realities of having to do something about slavery. It is strongly believed that there was a connection between Uncle Tom’s Cabin, John Browns raid and the Civil War (Reynolds, p 74)3. Former American president Abraham Lincoln is believed to have met Stowe in 1862 and commented that she was the one who wrote the book that started the Great War. The book is also believed to have made a major contribution to the eruption of the civil war between the North and the South through the personalization of arguments about the economic and political benefits of slavery. The publication of the book therefore, marked a major turning point in the country’s history since it brought up a clear picture of the happenings in the south at a time when politicians were unable to find the means of converging their views in as far as slavery was concerned. There was a huge divide at the time with several politicians for the abolition of slavery while many others were for its extension. Conclusion In conclusion, Harriet Beecher Stowe was posing a question to her audiences to think beyond their own interest to the greater good of all humanity. It gave the impression that we are all human and that the more egocentric mentality that humanity belonged to us and to no one else was not only wrong but also evil. It is human nature to try and cover our faces from the truth that will cause us to evaluate ourselves from inside because it will mean accepting responsibility and admitting what we are doing wrong, something the ego in the human race is yet to fully embrace. In so accepting our shortcomings were expressly in acceptance that we should be ready to pay the price of pursuing that which we believe is fair to all. Uncle Tom paid with his own life fighting for others for what he believed was just. Though slavery ended, racism is still very much alive although others believe it does not while others believe it serves them best. Just like in the days when Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published, those who benefited from slavery supported it and advocated for its extension and those who suffered fought it with all their might. So are the present day challenges of racial divide that is tearing the human race apart. What will stand in the end is justice and moral good, however hard the human race finds it hard to acknowledge this possibility. Stowe chose to write the truth and this sparked a revolution that changed the course of both human and American history. Bibliography Meer, Sarah. Uncle Tom mania: slavery, minstrelsy, and transatlantic culture in the 1850s. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2005. Print. Reynolds, David S.. Mightier than the sword: Uncle Tom's cabin and the battle for America. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2011. Print. Stowe, Harriet Beecher, Henry Louis Gates, and Hollis Robbins. The annotated Uncle Tom's cabin. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2007. Print. Read More