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He is indebted to a slave trader by the name of Haley. The story begins with Haley giving Shelby the option of trading a couple of his slaves to pay off his debt. Haley tells Shelby that he wants Tom, Shelby's most faithful slave. Knowing he has little choice, Shelby eventually signs over Eliza's five year old son, Harry and Tom to Mr. Haley, thus settling his debts. Eliza overhears the men talking and flees the plantation with her son. With Haley not far behind, she starts her dangerous journey to Canada, where she hopes to meet up with her husband, George, who is also a runaway. Haley is unable to catch Eliza, so he returns to the farm and collects Tom. With plans of taking Tom to be sold in the South, Haley boards a steamboat with several other slaves. On the boat Tom meets and makes a great impression on a little girl, Evangeline St. Clare, or Eva. Eva is traveling with her father Augustine St. Clare, and his cousin Ophelia. After Tom rescues Eva from drowning, she persuades her father to purchase Tom. Augustine is a kind man who treats his slaves as if they where his own children. Tom goes to work in the St. Clare stables and becomes the private driver of Augustine's selfish wife, Marie. Since Marie is so busy worry about herself, she is unable to properly care for Eva. So Augustine has brought Ophelia from Vermont to take care of his young daughter. Meanwhile, with the help of a senator and an ex-slave owner, Eliza finds a home with a kindhearted Quaker family. There, she is reunited with her husband who has been posing as a wealthy white man. They soon hear the news that there are men after them. Dressed as two men and a little girl, George, Eliza and Harry finally cross over to Canada and their freedom. At the St. Clare plantation Tom is having and easy life. Tom's happiness is short- lived when sweet Eva becomes ill and dies. Mr. St. Clare is deeply disheartened by the loss of his beloved daughter and decides to begin the process of freeing Tom and his other slaves. Tom is ecstatic when he is told of his impending freedom. Before he can finish the paperwork, St. Clare is killed. Marie St. Clare sells Tom at an auction to a man named Legree. Legree is a hard and mean man who treats Tom with disgust. The Shelby's hear of Tom's location, but before George Shelby can reclaim him, Tom is beaten severely and dies in Georges arms. The young George Shelby was so distraught; he returns home and frees all of his slaves. While living in Canada, George and Eliza are reunited with relatives that had worked with Tom on the Legree plantation. After receiving an education in France, George moves Eliza and their family to Liberia, Africa where they enjoy their freedom and expand their family. The author of this book, Harriet Beacher Stowe, claims this story was based on real stories of different slaves and people. Uncle Tom's Cabin is believed to be one of the most significant books of all time. Uncle Tom's Cabin became a book that just about every abolitionist had to own. Stowe's book had a dramatic effect everywhere in America. The popularity of the book gave incentive to the northerners to speak out against slavery. The south despised the book for it's portrayal of the southerners and the way it influenced abolitionism in the north. Its popularity may have even been a part of what caused the Civil War. The views and ideas that this book portrayed gave northerners the idea that slavery was wrong and shouldn't be tolerated. This book created a historical tension between the north and the south. Although Stowe hoped her book would make a positive impact, it actually increased the north's hatred for the south. Abraham Lincoln once reportedly called Stowe "the woman who wrote the book that started the war." This book gave me an insight on the lives of slaves. I loved the way Stowe made it seem that not all white slaveholders where hard and evil. I got Stowe's point that the slave and the slaveholder where all human and that no one should be owned or bought and sold like animals. I can only imagine the controversy that she caused when the book was first released. As I read this book, I could only visualize the hardships that slave families had to endure. I was saddened by the fact that these things really did happen, and the worst part was that they happened all the time. I would have been just as devastated if my family was ripped from my arms and traded like livestock. Stowe painted a vivid picture of the lives of slaves. Stowe may have had a bias opinion on slavery but in my opinion, she had every right. I believe that the reason south was so upset over this novel was because they knew that slavery was coming to an end. This was an amazing book that took me through the different lives and situations that men and women had to live through and endure. Harriet Beecher Stowe was an astounding writer who opened a door for the abolitionist to express themselves. Bibliography: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe Word Count: 963
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