Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe published on March 20, 1852. It is considered to have played a major part in laying the groundwork for the Civil War. Stowe was a Connecticut-born teacher at the Hartford Female Academy and an active abolitionist. The novel depicts the reality of slavery while asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as the enslavement of fellow human beings. Her character Uncle Tom was a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of the other characters revolve. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century, and came only second in book sales to the Bible. In 1855, it was called "the most popular novel of our day." When Stowe met Lincoln, he said, "So this is the little lady who started this great war," a quote which critics ascribe to the affirmation of the role of literature as an agent of social change. The book helped popularize stereotypes such as "mammy" and "uncle tom," and "pickaninny," and in recent years the negative associations with the novel have, to some extent, overshadowed the historical impact of the book as an antislavery tool.
It’s Tuesday, March 20
Thursday at noon, Jamie Smith of the Kentucky Cancer Program will give a lecture on colorectal cancer. Learn about current screening methods, prevention methods, risk factors, and symptoms. The program will be held at noon at Murray Calloway County Hospital’s Center for Health and Wellness. For more information, call 762-1348.
Author Shelley Shepard Gray will give a reading at New Life Christian Bookstore on Friday afternoon from 4:30 to 6. Gray’s latest book, the first of a trilogy, is called “Missing: The Secrets of Crittenden County.” The book tells the tale of murder in a small Amish community. Learn more about the event at 753-1622.
The Crispy Treat Extravaganza Bake Sale, a fundraiser for Epilepsy Awareness Day, will be held on Thursday. Purchase a wide variety of crispy treats from 7 to 10AM at the Fidalgo Bay coffee shop inside Murray Calloway County Hospital’s Medical Arts Building. For more information about the bake sale, call 762-1566.
Get details about these and other community events at wkms.org. Thanks for listening!
