How did the North and the South react to Uncle Tom's Cabin?
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Both reacted powerfully, but they reacted quite differently. The South criticized the book, especially supporters of slavery. Many people wrote letters, and some even wrote entire books answering the novel. (It is said that one person sent Stowe a slave's ear.)
In the North, the response was more varied. Many people read the work, and it dominated the stage for some time (decades—long after the Civil War). For some readers, it crystallized their politics and their opposition to slavery. Others managed to treat it as a tearjerker without getting politically active.
Rumor has it that, upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe, President Abraham Lincoln said, “So this is the little lady who started this great big war.” Although this rumor has lately been proven false, the point still stands: Uncle Tom’s Cabin transformed America. During its time, and particularly in the north, Stowe’s work inspired a series of theatrical productions, known as “Uncle Tom Shows;” it elicited various “Anti-Uncle Tom” novels; later, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was adapted for film with productions such as Tom (1902). Southerners responded quite differently. The majority of southern slave owners criticized the book. Many wrote responses in the form of books, pamphlets, and articles to prove that Stowe's interpretation was incorrect.
What made Stowe’s work so inspirational during its time and continues to inspire us today? In large part, Stowe reveals the possibilities for future reform.
Fueled by political anger, especially in connection to the Fugitive Slave Act and the Compromise of 1850, Stowe embarked on a campaign of serialized antislavery agitation that developed into the runaway best seller of 1852. Her work reveals, for better or for worse, the possibilities for America’s future. The utopic call to action we see at the end of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a timeless appeal. Consider Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” Speech. In a similar vein, King pulls back the curtain to reveal the horrors of segregation while simultaneously forwarding a utopic vision of equality. Fast-forward 43 years to President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign slogans: “Change we can believe in” and “Yes we can.” Inside these slogans is the vision of change. Like Stowe, these men connect history to lived reality, allowing audiences to connect the past, present and future. It is for this reason that Uncle Tom’s Cabin continues to inspire audiences today.
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