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”.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction.
- Slavery as a Theological Point of Contention.
- The Development of the Exegetical Debate in the Antebellum Era
- The Arguments for a Biblical Endorsement of Slavery
- Uncle Tom's Cabin as an American Jeremiad.
- Lamenting the Present State
- Demonstrating the Piety and Godly Order of the Past
- Calling for Repentance and Renewal
- Conclusion.
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze how Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, despite being challenged by strong opposing Bible-based arguments, successfully utilizes the American Jeremiad tradition to persuade readers against slavery. The paper will examine the theological dispute over slavery in the antebellum era, highlighting the contrasting arguments for and against the biblical endorsement of slavery. It will then analyze key elements of Stowe's novel that align with the traditional jeremiad, exploring how the book counters pro-slavery arguments. The analysis draws on the defining steps of the American Jeremiad, focusing on the lamentation of the present state of crisis, the contrast with a more pious past, and the call for repentance and renewal.
- Theological arguments for and against slavery in the antebellum era.
- The American Jeremiad tradition in literature.
- The role of biblical interpretation in shaping societal views on slavery.
- The effectiveness of Stowe's novel in promoting anti-slavery sentiment.
- The use of narrative and rhetoric to persuade readers.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction establishes the historical context of Stowe's novel, highlighting the political and moral divide over slavery in the antebellum era. It discusses the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and its impact on Northern abolitionist sentiment. The introduction also highlights the importance of biblical interpretation in the debate over slavery, demonstrating how this debate shaped American society.
The second chapter explores the theological arguments surrounding slavery, focusing on the development of the exegetical debate in the antebellum era and examining the arguments for a biblical endorsement of slavery. This chapter lays the groundwork for understanding the theological challenges Stowe faced in her opposition to slavery.
The third chapter analyzes Uncle Tom's Cabin as an American Jeremiad, examining how Stowe utilizes the genre's key elements to address the issue of slavery. The chapter explores how the novel laments the present state of the nation, contrasts it with a more pious past, and calls for repentance and renewal.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of the text include: antebellum era, American Jeremiad, biblical interpretation, slavery, abolitionism, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, theological arguments, narrative persuasion, and societal change.
- Quote paper
- Benjamin Plett (Author), 2020, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s "Uncle Tom’s Cabin". An American Jeremiad in the Antebellum Theological Debate over Slavery, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1420425