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What does it mean to be called an Uncle Tom?
Definition of Uncle Tom (Entry 1 of 2) 1 disparaging : a Black person who is overeager to win the approval of whites (as by obsequious behavior or uncritical acceptance of white values and goals)
Where did the expression Uncle Tom come from?
The term “Uncle Tom” comes from the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, where an enslaved African American, Tom, is beaten to death for refusing to betray the whereabouts of two other enslaved people.
What did Uncle Tom do?
They were going around telling people about the real Uncle Tom who escaped from slavery and returned on many occasions to lead slaves out of slavery. Along with other slaves and support from Quaker abolitionists, he purchased 200 acres of land in Canada and established a vocational school for fugitive slaves.
What is the story behind Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is published. Later, she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in reaction to recently tightened fugitive slave laws. The book had a major influence on the way the American public viewed slavery. The book established Stowe’s reputation as a woman of letters.
How much is a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin worth?
A first edition (1852) in good condition can command $15,000. Later editions can still be quite valuable if they are in good condition and are a special printing — for example, if the book is the first illustrated edition, one that is illustrated by a famous artist or one that has especially lovely leather binding.
What did Abraham Lincoln say to Harriet Beecher Stowe?
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is published. The novel sold 300,000 copies within three months and was so widely read that when President Abraham Lincoln met Stowe in 1862, he reportedly said, “So this is the little lady who made this big war.”