In Defense of UNCLE TOM’S CABIN

I am a huge fan of the 1852 novel UNCLE TOM’S CABIN written by white abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, a member of a famous religious family.

In the novel the main character of the slave Uncle Tom remains steadfast in his belief in the goodness of Christianity in order to rise about the brutality of slavery and become an heroic figure. While the term “Uncle Tom” 168 years after the publication of Stowe’s novel has come to have a negative connotation, only those who have not read the novel would so misinterpret what Stowe wrote.

During the lockdown I have written four one-hour episodes for a mini-series of the novel. I have not changed anything in the novel — I have only “channeled” Stowe as she was a witness to the events she describes.

And the pushback from some people to this proposed mini-series project has been interesting, especially given that I suspect these people have never read the novel and only know the negative meaning given by some to the term “Uncle Tom.”

What is more, in this very turbulent time in 2020 with a spotlight on race relations, I believe it is very important for all Americans to learn about slavery in the decade before the Civil War.

Adam Kirsch’s October 30, 2020, essay “The Fiction of American Democracy: Great writers have always challenged us to measure the compromised reality of politics against our national ideals” in The Wall Street Journal states:

To be political, however, a novel doesn’t have to deal with elections and campaigns… In terms of sheer political impact, probably the most important novel in American history is “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” published by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852 as a direct response to the Fugitive Slave Act, which required Northern states to apprehend escaped African-Americans and return them to bondage in the South.

Stowe drew a direct connection between the suffering of Eliza, a runaway slave chased across an icy river by slave-hunters, and the politicians who voted for the Act. When the fictional Senator Bird defends his vote to his wife, saying “we mustn’t suffer our feelings to run away with our judgment,” she adamantly insists that Christian charity is more important than preserving the Union: “Now, John, I don’t know anything about politics, but I can read my Bible; and there I see that I must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the desolate; and that Bible I mean to follow.”

Senator Bird’s wife is referring to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 as described in Wikipedia:

The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave-holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers.

The Act was one of the most controversial elements of the 1850 compromise and heightened Northern fears of a “slave power conspiracy”. It required that all escaped slaves, upon capture, be returned to their masters and that officials and citizens of free states had to cooperate. Abolitionists nicknamed it the “Bloodhound Bill,” for the dogs that were used to track down runaway slaves.

The Act contributed to the growing polarization of the country over the issue of slavery, and is considered one of the causes of the Civil War.

As to the accuracy of Stowe’s novel, she published a companion nonfiction book the following year. From the Amazon page of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s nonfiction book A KEY TO UNCLE TOM’S CABIN:

In 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an instant classic that received overwhelming acclaim by Northerners and other abolitionist readers. Southerners, conversely, strongly denied the novel’s accuracy. The following year Stowe answered pro-slavery critics with this unique bestseller, a meticulous and thoughtful defense of her work, which cites real-life equivalents to her characters.

Southern readers were further incensed by this follow-up volume, their wrath in no small part inflamed by a Yankee woman’s presuming to tell men what to think. A critical aspect of Stowe’s Key is her critique of the law’s support of not only the institution of slavery but also the mistreatment of individual slaves. As in the original novel, her challenge extends beyond slavery to the law itself. American society’s first widely read political novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin influenced the development of the nation’s literature, particularly in terms of protest writing. This supplement to the novel offers valuable insights into a historical and literary landmark.

If anyone is interested in this powerful novel being brought to the screen, you can email me at pzmiller@gmail.com to discuss the proposed project.

And before you push back at my praise of UNCLE TOM’S CABIN — read the novel (not the CliffsNotes, nor view any movie version) — the actual 1852 novel! (Not an associate link.)

And if you really need convincing of the accuracy of Stowe’s 1852 depiction — read the nonfiction A KEY TO UNCLE TOM’S CABIN. (Not an associate link.)

From the www.HarrietBeecherStoweCenter.org:

The first installment of Uncle Tom’s Cabin appeared on June 5, 1851 in the anti-slavery newspaper, The National Era. Stowe enlisted friends and family to send her information and scoured freedom narratives and anti-slavery newspapers for first hand accounts as she composed her story. In 1852 the serial was published as a two volume book. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a best seller in the United States, Britain, Europe and Asia, and was translated into over 60 languages.