Genre

Uncle Tom's Cabin

by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Genre 1 key example

Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel. Originally published serially in the abolitionist newspaper The National Era in 1852, it was a landmark work of literature written to advance the abolitionist cause. The controversial passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, which required that slaves be returned to their owners even if they were found in a free state, meant that citizens were forcibly compelled to assist in the capture of runaways. As a result, the law was met with intense criticism from abolitionists and only further encouraged their cause. It was in this intense climate in which Beecher Stowe penned her novel.