Thesis
"A lady with her pen has done more for the cause of freedom during the last year than any savant statement or politician of the land." ~Joshua Giddings, Congressman of the U.S. House of Representatives (1838-1859)
In the mid-1800s, slavery was the foundation of the southern economy in America. Abolitionists in the North spoke out against the inhumanity of slavery but with limited success. In 1852, one book caused a chain-reaction that not only propelled the abolitionist movement forward but also aroused anti-slavery feelings among previously neutral Northerners. Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, exposed the utter lack of rights for slaves, forcing people to confront the heartbreaking cruelties of slavery. This book increased a collective sense of responsibility among Northerners, both the ardent abolitionists as well as formerly indifferent Northerners, to end such a system of slavery. |
(Source: Uncle, WGBH)
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