The Importance Of Slavery In Uncle Tom's Cabin

This meant that these bastard children were slaves despite their paternal heritage because their mother was a slave. The effect of this revelation was to shock and offend the morals of the conservative northern whites. Northern society scorned people in adulterous and interracial relationships. By portraying these Southerners as immoral and adulterous, Douglass wanted to cultivate in his audience a damaging opinion of southern slaveholders (Quarles ix). Continuing with the theme o... ... middle of paper ... ...streated and punished their slaves, and how they used religion as an excuse to legitimize their immoral actions.

They saw the institution of slavery as contradictory to the Bible and civilized society. Colonel Chamberlain mentioned that he was fighting for the “dignity of man” (pg. 27). The South was feeling pressure from anti-slavery and abolitionist groups in the North. The South felt that the North was trying to destroy the southern way of life.

The novel is a realistic, although fictional view of slavery with the images of brutal beatings and unfair slave practices. After reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin thousand of northerners became impassioned for the anti-slavery cause. Uncle Tom's Cabin helped eventually to turn the tide of public opinion against slavery in the 19th century( Taylor 1). This controversial novel was initially written to question slavery, convince people of its immorality and to promote the abolitionist cause. The novel’s rendering of the slave holding south is not entirely an accurate interpretation of what it was like though.

The south which supported savery was furious especially to an idea of congressman tallmadge who disliked slavery who proposed missouri be able to enter as a slave ... ... middle of paper ... ...economic progress and national policies. During the battle of the south between states rights which meant the power and decisions a state would have a decision was made of secession. The differences between the north and the south grew because of the power and opinions that each side received and contributed. Even though people believe the civil war was caused by the state rights in some ways it was by the differences of slavery. The tension between the sides were strong which lead to the civil war, but were all caused by their disputes of slavery moving on towards the new expanding territories.

Southerners bitterly resented this moralistic attack, and also the stereotypical presentation of slave owners as heartless Simon Legrees in the overwhelmingly popular (in the North) book and play by Harriet Beecher Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852). Historians continue to debate whether slave owners actually felt either guilt or shame (Berringer 359-60[1]). But there is no doubt the southerners were angered by the abolitionist attacks. Starting in the 1830s there was a widespread and growing ideological defense of the "peculiar institution" everywhere in the South.

By publishing this book, Stowe made those who knew nothing of the evils of slavery realize how cruel it really was, and by doing this she made the South angry. She made the North so angry at the South that the two began to fight over slavery. This is truly one of the reasons why the Civil war began.

The novel “filtered the most subversive, sensational, or raucous cultural energies of the time true the cult of domesticity, which put the home and the family at the center of life”(p.43). Indeed, the historic importance of the book rather than its literary merits is the reason it is still read today. At the time of its publication, slavery was a highly controversial issue that raised questions about the cultural and economic future of the South as well as about human dignity and justice. The book brought slavery home to Americans. Southerners strongly denounced the book, but it called apathetic Northerner 's to action by appealing to their Christian duty to end the moral wrong of slavery.

The north?s reaction to the book was they increased their protests against slavery and the fugitive slave law. The south?s reaction was they criticized the book as an attack on the south. The south didn?t like the book because they thought that it was an attack on them and slavery. These are some of the events that lead to the Civil war and the secession of the southern states.

The North opposes the South’s pro-slavery sentiments, and as a result the country is strongly divided. Two important anti-slavery advocates that play a role in American history by bringing shame to slavery practices are Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick

By showing the detrimental effects of slaveholding on Thomas and Sophia Auld, Mr. Covey, and others, as well as proving that slavery is a practice that degrades the founding qualities of America, Douglass proves that slavery is unnatural and evil, and should be outlawed not only for the greater good of all society, but because it the great sin and shame of America . Bibliography Douglass, Frederick, and David W. Blight. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave: with related documents. 2nd ed.