19th Century banned book goes out to.....

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Here is another book that i had recently read that has been banned in the past.

Uncle Tom's Cabin; or Life Among the Lowly was first published in 1851. It was criticised by slavery supporters and outraged people in the southern states of America. People referred to the novel as utterly false, criminal and slanderous and Stowe received many threatening letters, including a package containing a slave's severed ear.
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an antislavery novel and in my opinion, a brilliant book. It is a true portrayal of one of the most shameful periods in American history and although Harriet Beecher Stowe declares that this book is a work of fiction, she does state that is based on people that she knew and stories she had heard. This book sold 300,000 copies in the first year and more than a million copies by 1860 , second only to the Bible.

Uncle Tom's Cabin first appeared as a 40-week serial in National Era, an abolitionist periodical, starting with the June 5th, 1851, issue. Because of the stories popularity, the publisher contacted Stowe about turning the serial into a book. While Stowe questioned if anyone would read Uncle Tom's Cabin in book form, she eventually consented to the request.

Published in 1852, it is set in the 1800's and begins with the story of Tom, a slave from Kentucky. Tom is a long-suffering black slave around whom the story of other characters revolve and the book begins with him being sold by his 'master' to settle a bet. A parallel story follows the life of Eliza, her husband George and their young son, Harry, who flee to Canada when they learn that Harry will be "sold down the river" and separated from his family.

Uncle Tom's Cabin charts the progress from slavery to freedom of fugitives who escape the chains of American chattel slavery, and of a martyr who transcends all early ties. At the middle of the nineteenth-century, the names of it's characters - Little Eva, Topsy, and Uncle Tom - are renowned. A hundred years later, 'Uncle Tom' still has meaning, but, to Blacks everywhere it has become a curse.

Many people find the book offensive also because of Stowe's use of the "N" word throughout the book. So controversial was this novel, upon meeting Stowe, President Lincoln is credited with saying, "So, this is the little lady who wrote the big book that made this Great War."



http://bannedbookschallenge.blogspot.com.au/2008/03/uncle-toms-cabin-wendys-review.html

http://www.forgetfulone.com/2008/10/banned-book-uncle-toms-cabin.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/uncle-tom-s-cabin