Harriet Beecher Stowe

1
Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin

• American Literature I
• 10/1/2004

2
Outline

• Introduction to Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Before the Civil War and After History of the
  Slaves in the U.S.
• Summary of the Novel
• Themes and Motifs in the Novel

3
Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Born in 1811 Litchfield, Connecticut.
• Studied at Sarah Pierces girls academy during
  her adolescence.
• Began writing short stories and got married in
  1836.

4
Harriet Beecher Stowe

• 1849, the death of Samuel, her baby boy, and
  Passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 had
  influenced her writing tremendously.
• Turned to write the culture and history of New
  England in her later days due to the approaching
  of the Civil War.
• Died in 1886.

5
Before the Civil War- History of the Slavery in
the United States

• 1619 The first slaves were imported to
  Jamestown, Virginia from Africa
• The slaves were most useful in the growing of
  indigo, rice, and tobacco
• cotton was only a side crop.
• Slaves were most economically viable in
  plantation-style agriculture.

6

This poster
depicts the horrific conditions on slave ships
was influential in mobilizing public opinion
against slavery in Great Britain and the United
States.
7
About the Slave Ship Capacity

• An estimated 15 million Africans were transported
  to the Americas between 1540 and 1850. To
  maximize their profits slave merchants carried as
  many slaves as was physically possible on their
  ships. A House of Commons committee in 1788
  discovered that one slave-ship, The Brookes, was
  originally built to to carry 451 people, but
  carried 600 slaves.
• Chained together by their hands and feet, the
  slaves had little room to move. It has been
  estimated that only about ½ of the slaves taken
  from Africa became effective workers in America,
  while a large number of them died on the journey
  from diseases such as smallpox and dysentery.
  Many of the slaves become crippled for life as a
  consequence of the way they were chained up on
  the ship.
• By the 17th century slaves could be purchased in
  Africa for about 25. After the slave-trade was
  declared illegal, prices went much higher. Even
  with a death-rate of 50 per cent, merchants could
  still make tremendous profit.

8
History of Racism in America (2)

• America was a former colonial plantation society,
  characterized by immigration, forced or
  voluntary. Ex Slavery and foreign labor
  Indians banished to reservations.
• European immigrants protected their interests,
  forcing exclusion of Blacks Ex Radicalized
  discrimination on the Blacks in the most
  disadvantaged sections of the society the
  segregation in 1960s.

9
C r u e l t y

• Peter, a slave from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1863.
  The scars came from the result of severe whipping
  by the overseer, who was subsequently discharged.
  It actaully takes several months to recover from
  the beating.

10
The Road to the Freedom of Slaves

• 1787 The United States Constitution was adopted
• 1793 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
• 1808 The United States Constitution banned the
  import of slaves

11
The First Half of the 19th Century

• A movement to end slavery called abolitionism,
  grew in strength throughout the U.S.

A scene from
Uncle Tom's Cabin,
history's most famous abolitionist novel.
(Uncle Tom Simon Legree)

12
The Road to the Freedom of Slaves

• 1821 Missouri Compromise
• 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, which led to the
  opening of the battale between Kansas and
  Nebraskaoften referred as "Bleeding Kansas".

13
The Election of Abraham Lincoln

• Many in the South also wanted to see the end of
  slavery, but in a more measured way.
• The combination of these factors
• ? Led the South to secede from the Union
• ? Those remaining states refused to allow
  
• southern states to leave
• ? The American Civil War began

14
Brief Time Line of the Civil War

• 1861
• February 1861
• -The South formed a Government.
• February 1861
• -The South Seized Federal Forts.
• April 1861
• -Attack on Fort Sumter.
• July 1861
• -First Battle of Bull Run.
• -General McDowell Is Replaced

15
Brief Time Line of the Civil War

• 1862
• In January, Lincoln took Action.
• In April, The Battle of Shiloh broke out
• In August, Pope's Campaign.
• 1863
• January 1863
• -Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation,
  which freed all slaves in the Confederate States
  of America.

16
Brief Time Line of the Civil War

• MarchThe First Conscription Act
• June-JulyThe Gettysburg Campaign.
• NovemberThe Battle of Chattanooga
• 1864
• MayGrant's Wilderness Campaign.
• JulyConfederate Troops Approach Washington, D.C.
• In November, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected.

17
Brief Time Line of the Civil War

• 1865
• January 1865
• -The Fall of the Confederacy
• April 1865
• -Surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.
• April 1865
• -The Assassination of President Lincoln

18
After the War

• Although blacks after the Civil War enjoyed
  freedoms and privileges that their slave
  ancestors could only dream of, they faced
  increasing discrimination during the end of the
  19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
• Alexix de Tocquevile, a French historian,
  predicted that changing the law to abolish
  slavery would be easy compared to changing
  peoples minds about slavery. Over 30 years after
  the Civil Rights Act, there are still problems
  that could be traced back to the days of slavery
  (Newman and E. Newman Layfield, 77).

19
History of Racism in America (3)

• In the 1980s, economic fortunes of the Blacks had
  gone to extremes, but still could not be compared
  with the Whites.
• Blacks accounted for only 4 with assets of
  50,000 or more. While Black income was roughly
  60 of the whites, the median net worth of black
  households in 1988 was merely 1/10 of the whites
  (Small, 40-50).

20
Racism in America-- Jobs

• 70 of Black men (16 in work force), compared
  with 77 of White men.
• 15 of Black men and 30 of the white worked in
  professional specialties in the 1980s, while
  women were 19 and 26.
• Unemployment 11.8 for Black men, 4.8 White.
• Black labor grew to 20 in 2000, and the greatest
  fear was US economy became 2-tier.

21
Racism in America Schools

• Occurrences of segregation, inferior faculties
  limited resources. Ex Washington D.C., Detroit
  and NYC at the end of 1980s.
• The performance of Blacks, in schools, is
  relatively problematic.

22
Situation in the 1980s

• In 1986, 27.5 of black school children, and 30
  Hispanic school children enrolled in 25 largest
  central city school districts. However, only 3.3
  of all whites attended these schools (Small, 54).

23
Racism in America Health Care

• 2 studies show that treatment varies with the
  race of patients and not the insurance coverage
  of the patient. Ex Dr. Katherine L. Kahn.
• Or, the Veteran Administration Hospitals.

24
Dr. Kahn. s Quote

• Within each type of hospital, patients who were
  black or from poor neighborhoods got less care
  (Newman and Eleanor Newman Layfield, 76).

25
Dr. Eric Peterson

• Dr. Eric Peterson, a cardiologist, helped to
  conduct the studies, suggests that evidence seems
  to be that the disparity in treatment points to
  racism as a factor when patients have the same
  health coverage and socioeconomic backgrounds
  (Newman and E. Newman Layfield, 76).

26
Uncle Toms Cabin?????
27
Story Summary

• Arthur Shelby VS. Emily Shelby
• ?
• Mr. Haley, slave trader
• / \
• Uncle Tom Harry, (Eliza)

28
My George!!

• Uncle Tom Leaving Home
• 
  Elizas Escape
  
• (chased by
  Loker and his gang)
• 
  (saved by the Quakers)

29
Eva

• Augustine St. Clare

30

• St. Clares cousin, Ophelia,
• holds prejudice against blacks.
• Topsy

31

• Evas Death
• Tom
  sold by Marie to
  
  
• ?
  Legrees Plantation

32

• Simon Legree
• Sex Slave Cassy ? Emmeline

33
(No Transcript)
34

• Cassy Emmeline ? George Harriss sister
• ? Canada ? Eliza Cassy ? France
• ? Liberia (American slaves)

35

• George Shelby ? Kentucky farm
• ? Sets all the slaves free in honour of
• Toms
  memory

36
Themes Motifs

• Geography
• Elizas Leap
• The Evil of Slavery
• The Incompatibility of
• Slavery Christian Values
• Christ Figures
• The Supernatural
• Uncle Toms Cabin
• The Moral Power of Women

37
Geography

• Eliza and Georges flight to freedomescape
  narrative (northward)
• She had often been . . . and the Canan of
  liberty on the other side 794-795
  (B1677-1678).
• Uncle Toms fallslavery narrative
  (southward)
• On the lover part of a small, mean boat, . . .
  youve got to be as I say! (B1735-1736).
• There is a wide gap between freedom and slavery
  as well as its parallelism and contrast in the
  making of political points.

38
Elizas Leap

• A symbol of the dramatic moment in leaving
  slaveryheading for freedom
• When horses and vehicles . . . many a half
  mile (794, B 1678).
• It is legally recognized as a division between
  the North and South
• Risk and heroism is as well involved in the
  slaves journey to freedom
• On this presumption, . . . she found herself
  both weary and hungry (795, B1678).

39
The Evil of Slavery

• Fugitive Slave Act 1850
• It shows the contrast of the disadvantage of
  slavery even in best situation
• Eg. The slaves at St. Clares
• Catch me ever buying one of St. Clares people!
  Spoilt niggers . . . (B1732).
• Eg. The slaves at Shelbys
• It is impossible . . . as she went rapidly
  forward (793-794, B 1676-1677).

40
The Incompatibility of Slavery Christian
Values

• The system of slavery and the moral code of
  Christianity oppose each other
• Christianity rests on the principle of
• universal love, as shown in the example of
  Uncle Tom? love thine enemy.
• Something within the silent black man answered,
  No! and, as if repeated by an invisible voice,
  came the words of an old prophetic scroll, as Eva
  had often read them to himFear not, for I have
  redeemed thee, I have called thee by name. Thou
  art MINE! (B1736)

41
The Moral Power of Women

• Early feminism
• Strength of the one oppressed group in helping to
  lessen the oppression of the other
• But stronger than all was maternal love . . .
  and string the sines like steel, so that the weak
  become so mighty (793-794 B1677).
• The traits of the idealized womanhood include
  strong, brave and capable

42
Christ Figures

• Sacrificial death? linked to Christs
• Eg. Evas death
• Toms death
• The narrator depicts Tom as someone carrying his
  cross behind Jesus.
• Toms death leads to Emmeline and Cassys escape
  and the freedom of all slaves on the Shelby farm.
  Evas leads to St. Clares deathbed conversion
  and Ophelias recognition of her own prejudice
  towards the Blacks.

43
The Supernatural

• A higher order ? oppose slavery
• Sublime is the dominion of the mind of the body
  . . . becomes so mighty (794 B1677).
• Resist /fight against slavery
• Disturbs the practices of slavery

44
Uncle Toms Cabin

• Suggest the reader to lead a Christian life like
  Uncle Toms
• Persistent reminder of the sufferings Tom
  experienced as a slave
• The cabin becomes a metaphor for Uncle Toms
  willingness to suffer and sacrifice rather than
  harming or betraying against Christian values or
  his fellow slaves.
• Destructive power of slavery and Christian love

45
The Meaning of Uncle Tom

• Its term is often used to humiliate those who
  humiliatingly subordinate to the Whites
• Raises related issues of racism in the U.S.
• The term is also used to refer to an inspiring
  feminist
• Reveals the idea of personal tragedies caused by
  the system of slavery

46
Purpose of the Novel

• Stowes purpose in writing this novel is to
  inspire a strong emotional reaction of righteous
  anger ? the ending of slavery
• The novel of Uncle Toms Cabin emphasizes the
  importance of Christian love in eliminating
  oppression.

47
References

• Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin
• lthttp//jefferson.village.virginia.edu/utc/uncl
  etom/utchp.htmlgt.
• History overview
• lthttp//www.u-s-history.com/index.htmlgt.
• Uncle Toms Cabin
• lthttp//www.sparknotes.com/lit/uncletom/context
  .htmlgt.
• Stowe lthttp//www.uwm.edu/Dept/Library/special/
  exhibits/clastext/clspg149.htmgt.
• Civil War lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor
  y_of_slavery_in_the_United_Statesgt.

48
References

• lthttp//memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/tl1861.htmgt.
  
• lthttp//www.watson.org/lisa/blackhistory/pos
  t-civilwargt.
• Slave Ships lthttp//www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
  USASships.htmgt.
• Small, Stephen. Racialised Barriers. London
  Routledge, 1994.
• Newman, Gerald and Eleanor Newman Layfield.
  Racism Divided by Color. Springfield Enslow
  Publishers Inc, 1995.
• Summary of Uncle Toms Cabin. lthttp//www.gradesav
  er.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/uncletom/shortsumm.html
  gt.