Uncle Tom's Cabin
Preserved but no longer current.
A story by Harriet Beocher Stowe (1811-96) that appeared in 1852. It tells of the sale of a pious and faithful old Negro slave to a bad owner. By its emphasis on the worst sides of negro slavery the book helped in no small degree to arouse the American nation to an understanding of the iniquities of the system. The original of Uncle Tom was a slave subsequently ordained as the Rev. J. Henson.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Uncle Tom's Cabin” mean?
A story by Harriet Beocher Stowe (1811-96) that appeared in 1852. It tells of the sale of a pious and faithful old Negro slave to a bad owner. By its emphasis on the worst sides of negro slavery the book helped in no small degree to arouse the American nation to an understanding of the iniquities of the system. The original of Uncle Tom was a slave subsequently ordained as the Rev. J. Henson.
Is “Uncle Tom's Cabin” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.