Harriet Beecher Stowe

A bestselling novel widely credited with helping fuel the abolitionist movement that precipitated the Civil War, Uncle Tom's Cabin aimed at the heart of white, Christian America with its sensational depiction of fugitive slaves and their struggle for freedom. Edited by Susan M. Ryan, the Norton Library edition features the text of the 1852 book version and an introduction that...

When Harriet Beecher Stowe was introduced to Abraham Lincoln in 1862, the president reportedly said, "So this is the little woman who made this great war." Apocryphal or not, the words were apt. Uncle Tom's Cabin portrayal of the evils of institutionalized slavery galvanized the American public to new abolitionist heights and today remains a crucial literary artifact in a...

In light of accumulating significant debts, Arthur Shelby, a farmer from Kentucky, finds himself on the verge of losing his entire estate. Despite his and his wife's compassionate treatment of their slaves, Shelby is compelled to sell two of them to Mr. Haley, a rugged slave trader, to raise the necessary funds. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a timeless masterpiece that...

When Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in 1852 it caused a sensation. Its antislavery position proved to be one of the most powerful cultural influences behind the Civil War. By emphasizing the moral failure inherent in slavery, it helped intensify the conflict between north and south. By the end of the year, it had sold over 300,000 copies in the...