Harriet Beecher Stoowe On Slavery In America

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s intention was to convince the audience that slavery should be abolished by having Americans evaluate their perspectives on the institution, providing the views on slavery of the characters, and giving the life stories of slaves.
Towards the end of the book, Stowe addresses the groups that exist in America in order to convince the readers that the institution of slavery should be terminated. Stowe first describes the experiences and treatment of the slaves in the story as only a small picture of the despair and anguish that all slaves are going through on a daily basis under American law (pg. 374). She now asks the men and women of America if it is something that should be encouraged, protected, and sympathized with
Clare’s perspective on slavery is one of humane nature. Eva believes that black people are just as much human as white people. Throughout the book, Eva continuously shows compassion toward slaves, and her compassion is strengthened when she takes an interest in the Bible (pg. 220). When her cousin Henrique whipped Dodo because the horse was dirty, she accused him of being cruel and wicked (pg. 226). Showing Eva standing up for a slave in the spirit of religion and humanity is effective in persuading the religious audience that slavery goes against the Bible and Christianity. Therefore, the readers can reason that if the institution goes against the word of the Lord, then it should be terminated. Similarly, Eva shares a view that is similar with the views of the Quakers that take in Eliza in her time of need. Simeon tells Ruth that everyone should learn how to love thy neighbor by using themselves as an example (pg. 117). He means to tell her and the audience they should be considerate of other people’s situations; in this case, free men should be considerate of slaves and treat them as they’d like to be
She sheds light on the fact that slaves endure both the emotional pain of the loss and separation of their families and the physical pain of the abuse from their masters. In the beginning of the story, Stowe introduces a slave named Eliza (pg. 11). Eliza suffered the loss of two infant children (pg. 13), and she discovers that her master, Mr. Shelby, has agreed to sell her son to a trader named Haley (pg. 32). Eliza decides to escape with her son before he was to be taken and begins her exhausting journey to Canada (pg. 33). Eliza’s fear of losing her family represents the same fear that thousands of slaves face. Her story shows the audience that slaves are more than just property; they have feelings and care for their families just as much as free