The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 engendered an “extraordinary rise of northern antislavery and abolition sentiment” (Stauffer 2010), in the context of which Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written. Overall, however, the law only marked one aggravation of the political dispute over slavery, which started in the earliest days of the Republic and culminated in the Civil War of 1861-1865. From the beginning, this conflict had also been fought on theological grounds. At the heart of it lay the question of biblical interpretation, as no definite and common answer with regard to slavery could be discovered in the Scriptures. But since the Bibel was generally perceived as the authoritative revelation of God and therefore penetrated all aspects of American society, it was a fundamental question. At the time when Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published, those in support of the proslavery scriptural position clearly held the stronger arguments. According to their literal reading, the Bible evidently sanctioned slavery.
It was in this context, that Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1852. It became the second best-selling book of the nineteenth century after the Bible. The effect the novel had was so far-reaching that Abraham Lincoln famously credited it for initiating the Civil War. Molly Oshatz is of the opinion that Stowe became “the most persuasive antislavery moderate of all” because she “avoided biblical argumentation in favour of narrative” (2012). What this theory does not take into account is how “heavily sermonic, prophetic, and apocalyptic” the book as a whole – including the narrative – is (Petter Westra 1994).
Stowe did not perceive herself as a writer of literature but rather as a historian, who construed the events of her time in the predetermined history of salvation from the Fall to the Final Judgement. As a sermon delivered to the nation, her book is much more than a mere sentimental novel. It is part of the traditional genre scholars have entitled the “American jeremiad”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Slavery as a Theological Point of Contention
2.1 The Development of the Exegetical Debate in the Antebellum Era
2.2 The Arguments for a Biblical Endorsement of Slavery
3. Uncle Tom’s Cabin as an American Jeremiad
3.1 Lamenting the Present State
3.2 Demonstrating the Piety and Godly Order of the Past
3.3 Calling for Repentance and Renewal
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how Harriet Beecher Stowe utilizes the genre of the "American Jeremiad" in her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin to counter contemporary pro-slavery theological arguments. It explores the theological disputes of the antebellum period and analyzes how Stowe employs sermonic, prophetic, and apocalyptic discourse to advocate for repentance and moral renewal in a divided nation.
- The theological conflict regarding biblical interpretation and slavery in the antebellum era.
- Pro-slavery biblical exegesis, specifically the arguments of Thornton Stringfellow.
- The rhetorical structure of the American Jeremiad as a persuasive tool in literature.
- The role of the ideal community (the Quaker settlement) in Stowe's alternative vision.
- Stowe's appeal to Christian love and empathy as a moral imperative over economic interests.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Lamenting the Present State
The acceptance of the institution of slavery was always tied to its economic benefits. In the antebellum decades, slave-grown cotton was one of the most important branches of the southern – and therefore the American economy (cf. Forret 2010: 227-228). For Stowe, the theological justification of an intrinsically evil institution for economic reasons was especially lamentable. In her novel, she expresses this view through the voice of her character Augustine St. Clare, who, despite being a slave-owning southerner, “speaks the language of the Abolitionist” (Braker 1995: 69).
After his wife Marie and his cousin Miss Ophelia return from a church service, Marie reports the content of the sermon, which “expressed all [her] views exactly” (UTC 173):
“The text was, ‘He hath made everything beautiful in its season’; and he showed how all the orders and distinctions in society came from God; and that it was so appropriate, you know, and beautiful, that some should be high and some low, and that some were born to rule and some to serve, and all that, you know; and he applied it so well to all this ridiculous fuss that is made about all our institutions so convincingly” (UTC, 173)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the novel within the political and ideological divisions caused by the Fugitive Slave Act and introduces the theological debate surrounding slavery.
2. Slavery as a Theological Point of Contention: This section details how the debate over slavery evolved into a fundamental struggle over biblical authority and interpretation.
2.1 The Development of the Exegetical Debate in the Antebellum Era: It outlines the shift from Enlightenment-influenced anti-slavery stances to the intellectual defense of slavery based on religious arguments.
2.2 The Arguments for a Biblical Endorsement of Slavery: This chapter analyzes the pro-slavery arguments presented by advocates like Thornton Stringfellow, including the sanction of slavery in the patriarchal age and the Torah.
3. Uncle Tom’s Cabin as an American Jeremiad: This section establishes the theoretical framework for analyzing the novel as a sermon-like critique of American moral decline.
3.1 Lamenting the Present State: It examines how Stowe exposes the hypocrisy and economic selfishness of those who used the Bible to justify the oppression of others.
3.2 Demonstrating the Piety and Godly Order of the Past: This chapter discusses the utopian vision of the Quaker community as a model of Christian love and moral alternative to slavery.
3.3 Calling for Repentance and Renewal: The final analysis chapter explains Stowe’s use of prophetic rhetoric to urge the audience toward individual salvation and national national reconciliation.
4. Conclusion: This summary reflects on the novel's success in prioritizing experiential and emotional truth over abstract theological logic to move its readers.
Keywords
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Jeremiad, Slavery, Antebellum Era, Biblical Interpretation, Theology, Abolitionism, Pro-slavery Argument, Quaker Settlement, Christian Love, Prophecy, Moral Renewal, Fugitive Slave Act, Exegesis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper explores how Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin functions as an "American Jeremiad," a rhetorical tradition used to critique the moral failures of a society and call for its spiritual renewal.
What are the central thematic fields?
The key themes include the intersection of religion and politics in the antebellum United States, the rhetoric of slavery, the role of biblical interpretation in moral argumentation, and the literary representation of Christian community.
What is the central research question?
The research aims to analyze how Stowe successfully counters powerful, Bible-based pro-slavery arguments by employing the narrative strategies of the American Jeremiad rather than engaging in technical biblical exegesis.
Which methodology is applied?
The study utilizes literary analysis informed by the framework of the American Jeremiad, as defined by scholars such as Andrew Murphy, to interpret the narrative structure and sermonic qualities of the novel.
What does the main part of the paper cover?
It provides an overview of the theological debate between pro-slavery exegetes and abolitionists, analyzes specific passages in the novel regarding the critique of slavery, and examines the role of the Quaker community as a model for an alternative social order.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include American Jeremiad, biblical interpretation, antislavery sentiment, moral renewal, and theological crisis.
How does the paper categorize the pro-slavery arguments of the 1850s?
The paper identifies these as "Biblical traditionalist" arguments that utilized a literal reading of the scriptures—such as the "Curse of Canaan"—to defend the economic and social necessity of the slave system.
Why did Stowe believe his novel was more effective than direct theological debate?
The paper argues that Stowe believed her novel succeeded because it privileged human experience, emotion, and the "general spirit" of Christian charity over the divisive and abstract technical debates typical of the era.
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- Benjamin Plett (Autor:in), 2020, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s "Uncle Tom’s Cabin". An American Jeremiad in the Antebellum Theological Debate over Slavery, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1420425
