Uncle Tom's Cabin

A scene from Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin


Uncle Tom's Cabin became one of the most purchased book in its century, second only to the Bible.  It sold 300,000 copies in its first year of print.  Originally running as a serial in an anti-slavery newspaper, Harriet Beecher Stow, the author, eventually published it in the form of a book.  The book was extremely, especially in the South.  In fact,  Southerners tried, unsuccessfully, to have the book banned, claiming that it falsely portrayed slavery.  It had such a massive impact on the opinion of the public that some historians have gone so far as to name it as one of the causes of the Civil War.

Uncle Tom's Cabin greatly influenced public opinion on slavery.  It allowed anyone with the ability to read it to what happened to enslaved Africans.  It added fuel to the anti-slavery supporter's fire.