Uncle Tom's Cabin

noun

an antislavery novel (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

(1852) A novel , first published serially, by Harriet Beecher Stowe ; it paints a grim picture of life under slavery. The title character is a pious, passive slave, who is eventually beaten to death by the overseer Simon Legree .

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Notes

Published shortly before the Civil War , Uncle Tom's Cabin won support for the antislavery cause.

Although Stowe presents Uncle Tom as a virtuous man, the expression “Uncle Tom” is often used as a term of reproach for a subservient black person who tolerates discrimination.

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April 19, 2024tortuous

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