Harriet Beecher Stoowe's Impact On Slavery

Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin “Harriet Beecher Stowe believed her actions could make a positive difference. Her words changed the world,” (“Harriet Beecher”). In the time of Harriet Beecher Stowe, America was acquainted with the idea of slavery. Everyday, the South saw the devastating effects it had on people but was not affected by it. The South was accustomed with slavery and did not see the problem with it. The North knew about slavery but was not aware of the reality it had in day to day life in the South. They were oblivious to all that ensued from slavery. She knew that not many people viewed slavery the same way she did and wanted to change how America thought about it. With writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher
The installments started on June 5, 1851, and were eventually made into a book in 1852. The book addressed the need for the abolition movement in the United States and was instrumental in the outbreak of the Civil War, (“Uncle Tom’s”). Harriet was able to portray the effects on slavery in a family and have the readers identify with the characters that were affected by slavery, (“Impact”). She had to show the good and the bad effects slavery had to get readers to clearly understand the message of the book. All of the characters played a significant role so the readers could empathize with them. Harriet even published The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1853 to tell the stories of slaves that were rooted in the characters of the book, (McNamara). America was changed by this influential book. It asked the country to make a difference in “the promise of freedom and equality,” (“Uncle Tom’s). In just the first year of publication alone, it had already sold over 300,000 copies. Uncle Tom’s Cabin quickly became a bestseller, locally and internationally,
Her story included characters that were relatable and covered the whole spectrum of people involved in slavery. Some said that it was a very one-sided story of slavery. However, it was the opposite. Stowe included all these different characters to show just how many different people were affected by the malicious acts happening at that time. The relatability of the characters allowed her audience to sympathize with the characters, which was the reason why the book was a success, (McNamara). Even with the criticisms it received, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was able to aid the movement towards the abolition of slavery. Without her clear intention, America might have not seen that eradication until years later. The society of today can still look to Stowe for inspiration to fight for justice. People should be motivated to change the world, just like Harriet Beecher Stowe