The brutal four-year war that followed almost destroyed the United States. Many white Southerners feared that slavery, “the peculiar institution” upon which their economy depended, would be eradicated. With the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the crisis came to a head as some Southern states seceded from the Union. Stowe’s candor on the controversial subject of slavery encouraged others to speak out, further eroding the already precarious relations between northern and southern states and advancing the nation’s march toward Civil War.īy the war’s beginning in 1861, North-South tensions had been on the rise for decades. Stowe hoped the novel would build empathy for the characters and, in turn, for enslaved individuals. Stowe’s vivid characters and portrayal of their struggles opened reader’s eyes to the realities of slavery and the humanity of enslaved people. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, Slavery, and the Civil War Uncle Tom’s Cabin challenges us to confront America’s complicated past and connect it with today’s issues.
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s courage as she picked up her pen inspires us to believe in our own ability to make positive change.
0 kommentar(er)
