II.

In her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe attempted to persuade the public that both slavery and the slave trade were wrong. There were various passages in the text that intended to do just that. When  introducing the character of George Harris, Stowe explains that, after being sent to work in a bagging factory, George thrived – he was quickly declared the first hand and a general favorite in the factory and had even invented a machine for cleaning hemp. When his owner learned about this, he began to feel a sense of inferiority and, as Stowe explains, “George was taken home, and put to the meanest drudgery of the farm. He had been able to repress every disrespectful word; but the flashing eye, the gloomy and troubled brow, were part of a natural language that could not be repressed,—indubitable signs, which showed too plainly that the man could not become a thing (Chapter II)”. Here, Stowe puts an incredible emphasis on counteracting a popular pro-slavery argument  of the time: that African Americans were not humans, but objects that were meant to be enslaved. Not only does this passage illustrate that he, too, was as much a man as any white owner, but it also demonstrates his talents and ingenuity despite his lack of formal education. Stowe also creates, in this scene, an incredible emotional connection between the audience and George’s character. She is essentially proving that no matter how hard George tries to be non-human –  no matter how hard he tries to ignore the hateful words from his master – there are certain parts of the human’s “a natural language” that he could not repress because he is, in fact, human. This is an incredibly powerful perspective to include because it truly proves to the audience that men, regardless of color, cannot be reduced down to objects. It also reflects George’s resilience.
A second major attempt of Stowe to persuade society that the slave trade and slavery was wrong was when Mr. and Mrs. Bird were debating the passing of a new law that prevented individuals from helping runaway slaves. When her senator husband explained the necessity of creating such a law, Mrs. Bird responded with “…I don’t know anything about politics, but I can read my Bible; and there I see that I must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the desolate; and that Bible I mean to follow” (chapter IX). In this excerpt, as in many others in the text, Stowe raises the topic of religion, something that was incredibly important and prevalent in society. This is an incredibly powerful perspective to offer in the text because in a way, Stowe is manipulating her audience into being unable to find an argument to counteract the ideology of Mrs. Bird, a strongly religious woman. At the time, the Bible was a crucial part of life and Stowe is presenting the idea that this text does not support slavery; she is indirectly making the claim that individuals who truly believe in religion should not believe in slavery. Her inclusion of religion in the anti-slavery movement is an incredible persuasion mechanism, if not one of the most important and effective ones.

One thought on “II.”

  1. I agree with your point on how people who believe in religion should not believe in slavery. Winning the moral debate over slavery through the use of religion is a stepping stone for the abolition of slavery.

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