Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Historical Context

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A 5 page research paper/essay that examines this novel and its historical context. As the American Civil War was going on, President Abraham Lincoln is said to have commented when he meet Harriet Beecher Stowe that her novel had served as a “catalyst for war.” Reportedly, at the 1862 encounter, Lincoln said, “’So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.’” Regardless as to whether or not this anecdote is accurate, it indicates the huge influence that Stowe’s first and best-known novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, had on the consciousness of the troubled United States. This novel was very much a product of Northern abolitionist sentiment. Therefore, to understand this novel, it is first necessary to understand the historical context in which it was written. Bibliography lists 5 sources.