Queer Little Folks

Fiction & Literature, Classics, Historical, Literary
Cover of the book Queer Little Folks by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Krill Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe ISBN: 9781518349515
Publisher: Krill Press Publication: December 26, 2015
Imprint: Krill Press Language: English
Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe
ISBN: 9781518349515
Publisher: Krill Press
Publication: December 26, 2015
Imprint: Krill Press
Language: English

In 1852, the United States of America was anything but united. The divisive issue of slavery was roiling the nation, which argued ad nauseam about the extension of slavery in new states as the nation pushed westward. Less than a decade later, Americans would fight each other in a Civil War that would claim over half a million lives before it was all said and done.

That same year, Harriet Beecher Stowe, an ardent abolitionist in the Northeast, published her famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin**, which became an instant hit in the United States and spawned Southern responses in literature that depicted slavery as a benign institution. Given the debate that** Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped spawn, historians have viewed Stowe’s classic as a harbinger of the Civil War itself. A famous anecdote holds that Abraham Lincoln himself, upon meeting Stowe, described her as "the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

While that quote is likely apocryphal, the historical importance of Uncle Tom’s Cabin remains well understood today, but the book is also remembered today for certain depictions and stereotypes of black people. These stereotypes include the affable “mammy,” the "pickaninny" stereotype of black children; and, of course, an “Uncle Tom”, which has ironically become a pejorative for a person who suffers dutifully for his boss. 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1852, the United States of America was anything but united. The divisive issue of slavery was roiling the nation, which argued ad nauseam about the extension of slavery in new states as the nation pushed westward. Less than a decade later, Americans would fight each other in a Civil War that would claim over half a million lives before it was all said and done.

That same year, Harriet Beecher Stowe, an ardent abolitionist in the Northeast, published her famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin**, which became an instant hit in the United States and spawned Southern responses in literature that depicted slavery as a benign institution. Given the debate that** Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped spawn, historians have viewed Stowe’s classic as a harbinger of the Civil War itself. A famous anecdote holds that Abraham Lincoln himself, upon meeting Stowe, described her as "the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

While that quote is likely apocryphal, the historical importance of Uncle Tom’s Cabin remains well understood today, but the book is also remembered today for certain depictions and stereotypes of black people. These stereotypes include the affable “mammy,” the "pickaninny" stereotype of black children; and, of course, an “Uncle Tom”, which has ironically become a pejorative for a person who suffers dutifully for his boss. 

More books from Krill Press

Cover of the book Three Young Knights by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book The Children of the King: A Tale of Southern Italy by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book An Appeal to All Those that Doubt the Truths of the Gospel by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book Tales of Trail and Town by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book Faro Nell and Her Friends: Wolfville Stories by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book Our Friend the Charlatan by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book State of the Union Addresses by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book Carthage, or the Empire of Africa by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book What Will He Do with It? — Volume 02 by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book Comedies of Courtship by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book The Dead Are Silent: 1907 by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book Magic: A Fantastic Comedy by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book My Young Alcides: A Faded Photograph by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book The Vicar of Bullhampton by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cover of the book The Black Bar by Harriet Beecher Stowe
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy