Did this Great American Novel Start the Civil War?

What does freedom mean in America? In the early 1850s, our young country was grappling with this questions, and so was Harriet Beecher Stowe.

In her debut novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stowe portrayed the stark reality of what life was like for people who were enslaved. Moved by her own experiences and motivated by her religious roots, Harriet Beecher Stowe crafted a novel that changed America.  But did it start the Civil War?


Uncle Tom and America
There’s an obvious connection between Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the controversy around slavery that led to the Civil War. The novel’s first chapter was published in an abolitionist periodical called The National Era in 1851, and the whole book was published and released in 1952.

Stowe was driven to write about slavery after witnessing a slave auction near Maysville, KY.  Losing her son to cholera in 1849 also inspired Stowe. In her grief, she began to imagine how mothers whose babies were born into slavery might feel. She used her grief as a tool, to deepen the emotion in her novel.

Perhaps her appeals to emotion helped white audiences relate to the story. It was instantly a huge success, selling 300,000 copies in its first year.

Stowe’s literary career made her somewhat of a celebrity, and in 1862 – right after the civil war began – she met Abraham Lincoln.


Uncle Tom’s Legacy
Although Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel had a huge impact on America, it did not start the Civil War. The novel did however capture the tension of a nation torn. Harriet Beecher Stowe was able to arrange Uncle Tom’s story in an approachable way that white people could easily understand.

At a time when tension was high, Uncle Tom’s Cabin provided a window into the cruelty that resulted from slavery and changed America in the process. Interested in learning more about the remarkable woman behind the novel?

Visit us at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House.  Even in our off seasons, we host a conversation series. Visit http://stowehousecincy.org/index.html for a schedule of events or more information.