Before the early 1800s many slave owners published stories written about their slaves, claiming that they were happier as property than if they were free. The stories indicated that blacks would be unable to handle a free life, which would be scary and filled with danger - and that they agreed that staying on a plantation was much more comfortable and safe. Many northern whites had never even seen a black person, so these tales were believed and the south was left alone on the subject of slavery for quite a while.
It wasn’t until the slaves started telling their own stories, after having escaped along the early trails of the Underground Railroad, that the truth was revealed. These stories told of the horrors of watching your children sold away from you, the inhuman workloads that were endured, and the cruelty of some masters. They told of beatings that were received and the horrific living conditions of slave life. The effect of hearing these heart-breaking stories was electrifying and helped the abolitionist cause.
Some former slaves wrote their own stories, like Frederick Douglass, but most did not know how to read or write, so others wrote their stories for them. The tales spoke not only of the hardships of slave life, but also of the great love between family members and friends. The stories captivated northern readers and helped several former slaves attain fame as speakers for the abolitionist cause.
The most famous antislavery book was Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1851. Stowe was a white woman, so she was accepted by a much wider audience than her black counterparts. She wrote this novel based on stories she learned from former slaves, some of which her family had harbored during their escapes to freedom.
The novel tells of Tom, a black slave, who is a man of great patience and endurance, and of the experiences he had with his horrible white owner. Tom refused to betray other slaves, even at the cost of his own life. This book had a tremendous impact on the feelings towards slavery and turned many northerners into abolitionists.
Today, the book is seen as very racist with a child-like, subservient and not very smart black man who endures everything that the white man does to him with a smile on his face. Of course, in reality, if he had fought back he would have been beaten or killed. If the reader keeps in mind the times that the book was written, and the impact it had on the antislavery movement, this book continues to be one of the most important of its time.
If you want to learn more about Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or about slavery in general, information can be found within the Albion Public Library or a library in your home town.