by Beachbumwriter

Created on: September 24, 2011

Uncle Tom’s Cabin begins at a Kentucky farm where the slaves are treated by their masters as a part of the family.  This ideal livelihood soon changes when the farm falls into debt with a slave trader who buys Uncle Tom who manages the farm for his master, Mr. Shelby, and Harry a little boy whose mother, Eliza, is a house servant in the Shelby household.  Eliza escapes with her son to the north, but Tom is sold down south to a wealthy master, Augustine St Clare, who has an angelic daughter named Evangeline.

Evangeline and Tom become close friends, but the harsh realities of the life of the slave seem to wear upon the little girls’ heart. Evangeline dies but her final wish is for her father to free Uncle Tom.  She along with her father’s cousin, Ms. Ophelia, desires for St Clare to free all of his slaves, but by the time he decides to take action, it is too late because he is stabbed to death in a bar fight.  The slaves in the household's fate is left to Mary St Clare who always felt that the slaves were spoiled by her belated husband.  After consultation with her husband's brother, the estate is sold off including the slaves.

 Uncle Tom is sold to an evil master named Legree who is bent on breaking Tom out of his pious morality and turning him into a brutal overseer to run his plantation. Tom complies with all of his masters work requirements on the planatation, but when he is demanded to whip another slave woman for her inability to pick enough cotton, Tom refuses. Tom whose convictions to God  overpowers all earthly needs for comfort refuses to bow and as a result, Tom is beaten to death.  Although Tom dies, many slaves are freed when his young master George arrives at Legree’s plantation in time only to see Tom die.  George as a result vows that he will free all of his slaves including Tom's wife and children.  Eliza the house servant who escaped finds freedom and unites with many family members including her husband, mother, and sister-in-law.  The whole family lives a free life where they travel to Canada, France, and eventually settle in Africa.

Uncle Tom dies knowing that finally he is free in the glory of God.  He lived a Christian life and he never caved in to Legrees' demands.  He refused to beat another slave or to tell Legree the location of two woman who had escaped from a sinful life as Legree's mistresses.  These two women escaped to the North, and one of them, Cassy, was Eliza's mother.  Therefore, the end of the story nicely connected back to the lives of the slaves in that Kentucky farm setting at the beginning of the story.

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