Uncle Tom's Cabin

Lew Rockwell ^ | 12/16/03 | Gail Jarvis

[PeaRidge]

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Gail Jarvis by Gail Jarvis

People who disagree with me often claim that my historical views do not conform with "modern" interpretations. For my enlightenment, they recommend "modern" history books, books written after the 1960s. However, one correspondent took the opposite approach insisting that I needed to read a book from the past, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Of course, like most of you, I read the book years ago when I was younger. And, although I thought I remembered it, I decided to read it again; this time slowly and analytically.

Its author, Harriet Beecher Stowe was the daughter, sister, and wife of ministers and fervent Abolitionists who used New England pulpits to passionately proselytize against slavery. So it is not surprising that she became an Abolitionist and wrote her influential novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Although the book is the most famous of all anti-slavery polemics, I suspect most people are not aware of many of the opinions held by its author.

In rereading her book, I was first struck by Mrs. Stowe insistence that slavery in the South was no worse than slavery in the North had been. Furthermore, Stowe did not condemn Southern plantation owners but rather placed the onus of slavery on the slave system itself; especially New England slave traders, New York bankers, and other Northern entrepreneurs who profited from slave commerce.

Writer and Civil Rights activist James Baldwin was incensed by her position, stating: "It was her object to show that the evils of slavery were the inherent evils of a bad system, and not always the fault of those who had become involved in it and were its actual administrators." To Baldwin this opinion was racist and abdicated slave owners of personal responsibility.

Civil rights activists were also irritated by Mrs. Stowe’s support of the American Colonization Society’s belief that slaves should be returned to Africa, support she shared with Abraham Lincoln.

Although an Abolitionist, Stowe belonged to the "gradual emancipation" school. She believed that slaves must receive at least a basic education before being freed. And she insisted that they be converted to Christianity. After these two conditions were met, they should be recolonized to Africa.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published two years after the Compromises of 1850. During a hectic two-month period, Congress enacted several laws designed to placate both pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. The law that especially rankled Mrs. Stowe was the Fugitive Slave Act, which required that all run-away slaves be returned to their owners. She thought it was hypocrisy for Northern congressmen, who publicly condemned slavery, to enact the Compromises of 1850.

Harriet Beecher Stowe decided that she could make her point more dramatically by using a fiction format. Her goal was not to write the great American novel, but, like Charles Dickens, create sympathy for members of an underclass of society, slaves.

The character "Uncle Tom" grew up on the plantation of his first master, Mr. Shelby, a Southerner who was kindly disposed toward his slaves. In the course of events, Mr. Shelby incurs such large debts that he must either sell Tom, his most valuable slave, or sell all the others. This dilemma allows Mrs. Stowe to demonstrate how the economic realities of the slave system itself often precluded humanitarian considerations.

Uncle Tom’s second master, Mr. St. Clare, was also a Southerner and a compassionate slave owner. Mrs. Stowe uses St. Clare’s Vermont cousin, Miss Ophelia, to illustrate the Northern view of slavery. Miss Ophelia chastises St. Clare: "It’s a perfect abomination for you to defend such a system – you all do – all you southerners." But, annoyed by the slipshod manner in which the house servants conduct themselves; she calls them "shiftless." Miss Ophelia is also offended by the close companionship of St. Clare’s daughter, Little Eva, with Tom and the other slaves, which she deems inappropriate.

Uncle Tom’s third and final master is perhaps the most famous villain in American literature – Simon Legree: a New England Yankee. Legree amasses enough money pirating to purchase a plantation in Louisiana. As a plantation owner, he regularly beats, curses and abuses his slaves. In one of his beatings of Tom, Legree's rage boils over and he accidentally kills the noble slave.

Toward the end of the book, an escaped slave, George Harris, realizes he can now achieve his dream of joining the colony in Liberia: "Let me go to form part of a nation, which shall have a voice in the councils of nations, and then we can speak. We have the claim of an injured race for reparation. But, then, I do not want it. I want a country, a nation, of my own."

In a postscript to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe catalogues the evils of the slavery system and then addresses Southerners:

"The author hopes she has done justice to that nobility, generosity, and humanity which in many cases characterizes individuals at the South. Such instances save us from utter despair of our kind. To you, generous, noble-minded men and women of the South – you, whose virtue, and magnanimity, and purity of character are the greater for the severer trial it has encountered – to you is her appeal."

Next she turns her attention to Northerners:

"Do you say that the people of the free states have nothing to do with it? The people of the free states have defended, encouraged, and participated; and are more guilty for it, before God, than the South. There are multitudes of slaves temporarily owned, and sold again, by merchants in Northern cities; and shall the whole guilt or obloquy of slavery fall only on the South? Northern men, Northern mothers, Northern Christians, have something more to do than denounce their brethren at the South; they have to look to the evil among themselves."

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published almost ten years before the War Between the States. Harriet Beecher Stowe did as much as anyone to encourage "gradual emancipation" of the New England sort..

December 16, 2003

Gail Jarvis [send him mail], a CPA living in Beaufort, SC, is an advocate of the voluntary union of states established by the founders.

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[mac_truck]

Now I know you yankees and yankee sympathizers like to believe that your little yankee mecca of New York City is the center of the universe. The cold harsh reality is that it isn't anywhere close. New York City is a cold, dreary urine soaked crime infested urban wasteland on the northeast extremity of the United States. Politically, morally, socially, and culturally it is about as far away from the true American heartland as one can physically get in this country short of leaving its borders entirely.

He sure sounds like a "big dumb cracker" to me.

[Non-Sequitur]

You attempt to make it sound like Jackson was unique and some sort of anti-slavery activist because he taught a Sunday school for free blacks and slaves, some of which were his own. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jackson was no different than tens of thousands of other slave owners who saw to it that their chattel were taught the Bible and were exposed to the teachings of Jesus Christ. The slave narratives are full of such accounts. Rather than being rebels, Jackson and the others merely belonged to churches throughout the south sponsored such schools. There is nothing special or out of the ordinary in what Jackson did. He was not anti-slavery in any way, regardless of what "Gods and Generals" would have us believe.

[4CJ]

He sure sounds like a "big dumb cracker" to me.

I've got a neighbor that is from New York state, who is the first to admit that they would never live in NYC. He considers himself a yankee through and through, and also call NYC the "cesspool" of the nation. I wouldn't call him a "big dumb cracker".

[4CJ]

You attempt to make it sound like Jackson was unique and some sort of anti-slavery activist because he taught a Sunday school for free blacks and slaves, some of which were his own.

No, I pointed out that Jackson started the school. A school that had previously been attempted failed. And Jackson was not unique in this regard, nor have I ever claimed he was.

In my 493, I wrote, 'Stonewall gave them a gift far better than a toy, he shared the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour with them. He organized a Sunday School class for them (and other slaves) in 1855 at the Lexington Presbyterian Church where he served as deacon. Up to 100 slaves attended services. Jackson gave them books and Bibles as a reward for their efforts.'

To which you replied in 494, 'Partly correct. Jackson taught the Sunday school it is true. But the school was sponsored by the Presbyterian church and had been in place before Jackson began teaching it, and continued after he left. The school was open to free blacks as well as slaves. Such schools were common throughout the south where the churches and slave-owners both considered it their Christian duty to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to their heathen chattel. Jackson did not give them books or Bibles since reading was not taught in the class.'

To which I posted references from those that knew Jackson well refuting the assertion that the school 'been in place before Jackson began teaching it', and that 'Jackson did not give them books or Bibles'. The remaining points of your posts were correct.

[Non-Sequitur]

On the other hand, the description "a cold, dreary urine soaked crime infested urban wasteland" could just as easily be applied to any men's room at Hartsfield Airport or DFW.

[4CJ]

Most of us consider Georgia to be everthing but Atlanta.

[mac_truck]

Most folks from the rest of New York state resent the power and influence of New York City. Its a classic upstate/downstate political dynamic that's been in place for at least the past 100 years.

All your neighbor has confirmed is that New York City isn't really considered the center of the universe by all yankees and yankee sympathizers , as was asserted earlier.

[mac_truck]

From the Christian Science Monitor January 2, 2004

In some cities, like New York, constant police vigilance in high-crime areas has caused the rates of urban violence to continue to plummet to levels not seen since 1968, making the Big Apple the safest big city in the country for the second year in a row. But in other urban areas, murder and mayhem are definitely on the rise. Dallas, for instance, saw a 51 percent hike in overall crime, as scandal rocked the local police department and increased drug trafficking got a tighter grip on struggling neighborhoods...

New York City probably has the most remarkable crime story in the country right now. It's managed to lower crime another 5.5 percent in 2003, even with fewer resources during a fiscal crisis.

Far from being a crime ridden cesspool, it sems NYC is setting an example for the rest of the country. Big dumb crackers take note.

[4CJ]

Far from being a crime ridden cesspool, it sems NYC is setting an example for the rest of the country. Big dumb crackers take note.

Nationally, the violent crime rate decreased 3.1% according to the 2003 Preliminary (January - June) FBI UCR report. New York's violent crime rate decreased 3.3% (27,667 in 2003 vs. 28,622 in 2002), yet Atlanta's rate was down 14.04% (4,179 in 2003 vs. 4,862 in 2002).

I guess the big dumb crackers could teach New Yorkers a thing or two.

[mac_truck]

Most of us consider Georgia to be everthing but Atlanta.

I guess you were just kidding then, when you said this.

[4CJ]

I guess you were just kidding then, when you said this.

No. It was simply a comparision of Geogia's largest city to that of New York's.

[mac_truck]

A few posts ago you were claiming that most southerners did not consider Atlanta to be part of the south. Now you want to take credit for Atlanta's improving crime rate. Is that it?.

While I am glad to hear that the crime rate there is improving, you have not demonstrated any lesson that New Yorkers could possibly learn from you, beyond how to deseminate like a Clintonista.

[4CJ]

A few posts ago you were claiming that most southerners did not consider Atlanta to be part of the south. Now you want to take credit for Atlanta's improving crime rate. Is that it?.

Nope. The folks I know in Georgia, from various parts of the state, do not consider Atlanta to be Southern. It's Atlanta and the rest of the state. Right or wrong, that's the mentality.

Secondly, no one is laying claim to Atlanta's "improving" crime rate - simply an observation about how statistics can make things sound wonderful. Take two cities, one with an increase in the murder rate of 100%, another with a decrease of 5%. Which is safer? If the first had only 1 muder in year 1, and 2 in the second, the rate did increase 100%. In the second city, if it had 1000 in year one, and 995 in year two, the rate did decrease 5%.

The question is, in which city would you feel that your family is safer?

[nolu chan]

Large cities are not typical of the heartland. Large cities in any state (or country) tend to vary greatly from the rural areas. While the large cities largely influence the perceived image, those in a state may view the same place differently. There can even be in-city vanity. Within Manhattan, it will exist from East side to West side. A careful listen to Rod Stewart singing Downtown Train will reveal the Manhattanite putting down "them Brooklyn girls."

The downtown trains are full
full of all them Brooklyn girls
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds
You wave your hand and they scatter like crows

New York state has one of the nation's largest agricultural industries. Politically, socially and culturally, NYC is foreign to the rest of NY state (except for some surrounding areas), just as it is foreign to the rest of the USA. NYC tends to be big, brash, vocal and in-your-face about it.

One could easily perceive San Francisco (never been there) as politically, socially and culturally foreign as well. Some perceive all of California as almost a foreign country.

NYC does, indeed, have some urine-soaked areas. For various and sundry reasons, there has always been an ample supply of street people. Considering population density, with more people per square mile than elsewhere, Manhattan probably has more street people per square mile. Some problems are magnified. Public toilet facilities are lacking. Even when you are homeless, if ya gotta go, ya gotta go. Congregating by gays and drug dealers led to closures of public facilities.

Parts of the South Bronx did resemble a bombed out urban wasteland some time back. I do not believe it is as bad as it was. In the Navy, Norfolk, Virginia was universally known as S--- City. The last time I saw downtown Norfolk it looked almost like a bombed out wasteland.

Regarding culture, as a big melting pot, American culture is a bit difficult to define. To a European, American culture is probably typified by McDonald's and an attitude. Notable is that attitude, "Why don't they speak English?"

To some extent, NYC is to the rest of the US as France is to the rest of the world. NYC is the Big Apple, the greatest city in the world. All you need do is ask a few city-dwellers. They are not generally bashful about telling you so.

I can hardly consider NYC to be an urban wasteland. I believe Manhattan has the most expensive real estate in the US. The cost of living is very high.

I do not consider NYC to be in the northeast extremity of the US. All of New England lies north and east. Geographically, it is not all that far from Virginia.

While some of the criticisms of NYC are reasonably accurate, I see few valid conclusions to be drawn. Native New Yorkers may well heap the same criticisms on NYC, and add a few. For example, one might criticize it by observing that giant sucking sound of NYC as it reaches into pockets around the state vacuuming out money. A rural hick likely would not appreciate going out his door and seeing someone sleeping on the sidewalk as much as going out his door and having a few deer look up and say "hi." But heck, y'all can judge for yourself.

Inner city bliss:

My current rural view:

[4CJ]

Politically, socially and culturally, NYC is foreign to the rest of NY state (except for some surrounding areas), just as it is foreign to the rest of the USA.

And Atlanta. It is nothing like the rest of the state.

Albino deer? We might see a piebald one every few years, but not pure albino. We've had 4 or 5 deer killed on the road behind our house this year. The only things you see dead on the highway in Atlanta are cars.

[nolu chan]

And Atlanta. It is nothing like the rest of the state.

And, of course, Newfoundland is different from the rest of Canada. If it is 2 p.m. in New York, what time is it in Newfoundland? You might guess all day without guessing the correct answer. Would you believe 3:30 p.m.? (Really!)

Newfy Standard Time

[4CJ]

You might guess all day without guessing the correct answer.

That is too weird.