The Little Lady Who Started the Big War
When President Lincoln met Stowe, he said to her, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this Great War?" Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin portrayed some of the most powerful arguments against slavery, and immediately became America's first international bestseller. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" would go on to become the bestselling novel of the 19th century. Before writing her novel, she interviewed many people who were former slaves and even some who were still fugitives traveling aboard the Underground Railroad. Stowe used Henson's memoirs, published in 1849, as reference for her antislavery novel. Henson's dramatic experiences and his connection with Stowe's book made him one of the most famous Canadians of his day. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was the most powerful antislavery novel and had a lasting effect on attitudes toward African-Americans and slavery. After reading "Uncle Tom's Cabin" many people became convinced of the evils of slavery. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" sold 300,000 copies in the United States alone in the first year that it was published. Many people thought at the time, and believe still today that publication of Stowe's novel led directly to the Civil War.