Uncle Tom's Cabin
noun
an antislavery novel (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Cultural definitions for uncle tom's cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
(1852) A novel, first published serially, by Harriet Beecher Stowe; it paints a grim picture of life under slavery. The title character is a pious, passive slave, who is eventually beaten to death by the overseer Simon Legree.
notes for Uncle Tom's Cabin
Published shortly before the
Civil War,
Uncle Tom's Cabin won support for the antislavery cause.
notes for Uncle Tom's Cabin
Although Stowe presents Uncle Tom as a virtuous man, the expression “Uncle Tom” is often used as a term of reproach for a subservient black person who tolerates discrimination.