Textual Background and Context

      I am most interested in anti-Uncle Tom literature. It starts off saying, "in nearly all anti-Uncle Tom literature, the major figure is the benign and patriarchal slavemaster," despite previous pages displaying illustrations of torture devices for slaves. This section alludes to several writings against Uncle Tom's Cabin which display slavemasters as benevolent and benign, even giving them gifts and receiving gratitude from their slaves. These writings don't account the reason so many slaves fled to the north. Anti-Uncle Tom's Cabin literature relies heavily, massively even, on racial stereotypes which define blacks as inferior. These stereotypes display blacks as mentally inferior, physically adept to manual labor, and excellent at petty crimes. These stereotypes reach grotesque levels of contempt as Mrs. Henry B. Schoolcraft states, "Africans hate civilization... and are never happier... than when allowed to live in the abandonment, nakedness, and filth, their instincts crave." Uncle Tom's Cabin fights to disprove the baseless, harmful stereotypes. Stereotypes are addressed and argued against. Slaves are showed as articulate and capable of thought and civility. On page 100 of Uncle Tom's Cabin George and Mr. Wilson discuss George's intent to escape. George gives a heartfelt testimony of his hardships in a very articulate manner. George understands the risks, creates a plan, and is able to persuade a white man, disproving many bad stereotypes of blacks at the time. The information I learned on anti-Uncle Tom's Cabin literature gives context as to why George's testimony is so important and why slavery was acceptable at the time.