Uncle Tombs Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Tom owned by George Shelby

A farmer named Arthur Shelby who is about to lose his farm because of massive debts. Even though he and his wife (Emily Shelby) believed that they had a benevolent relationship with their slaves, Shelby decided to raise the needed funds by selling two of them Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and children, and Harry, the son of Emily Shelby's maid Eliza to a slave trader. Emily Shelby hated the idea of doing this because she had promised her maid that her child would never be sold; Emily's son, George Shelby, hated to see Tom go because he considered that loveable old man to be his good friend.

Eliza and Harry escape

When Eliza overhears Mr. and Mrs. Shelby discussing the fact that Mr. Shelby has sold Tom and Harry to the slavetrader Haley, Eliza determines to run away in order to save her son. She is pushed to this decision not by any physical cruelty on the part of her master or mistress, but by the maternal fear of losing her only surviving child (she has already lost two children by miscarriage). She departs in the night, leaving a note of apology to her mistress.

Tom is "Sold down the river"

While all of this is happening, Uncle Tom is sold and taken down the Mississippi River. On the boat, Tom meets and befriends a young white girl named Eva. When Eva falls into the river, Tom saves her. In gratitude, Eva's father, Augustine St. Clare, buys Tom from Haley and takes him with the family to their home in New Orleans. Tom and Eva come to relate to one another in a very special way, sharing a deep Christian faith between them.

George, Eliza and Harry escape

As Eliza and her husband George Harris, who ran away previously, attempt to reach Canada, they are cornered by Loker and his men, causing George to shoot Loker. Worried that Loker may die, Eliza convinces George and the Quakers to bring the slave hunter to a nearby Quaker settlement for medical treatment.

Tom owned by Augustine St. Clare

Back in New Orleans, St. Clare debates slavery with his cousin Ophelia who, while opposing slavery, is deeply prejudiced against black people. St. Clare, however, is not biased against blacks. In an attempt to show Ophelia that her views on blacks are wrong, St. Clare purchases Topsy, a young black slave. St. Clare then asks Ophelia to educate Topsy.

After Tom has lived with the St. Clares for two years, Eva grows very ill. Before she dies she experiences a vision of heaven, which she shares with the people around her. As a result of her death and vision, the other characters resolve to change their lives, with Ophelia promising to love her slaves more, Topsy saying she will better herself, and St. Clare pledging to free Uncle Tom.

Tom sold to Simon Legree

Before St. Clare can follow through on his pledge, he is stabbed while getting in a fight. His wife, because his husband wanted her to goes and sells Tom at auction to a vicious plantation owner named Simon Legree. Legree begins to hate Tom when Tom refuses Legree's order to whip his fellow slave. Tom receives a brutal beating, and Legree resolves to crush Tom's faith