The Construction of Race and the Politics of Memory in American Anti- and Pro-Slavery Fiction from  Harriet Beecher Stowe to Thomas Nelson Page

The American slavery debate, raging from the early nineteenth century up until the Civil War, almost destroyed the Union through its increasing political, economical and social anxiety. Southerners argued against any federal interference of their institution of slavery and abolitionists, especially those who were more radical, vehemently opposed any continuation of the institution. In this tumult, several writers took up the pen to argue against or specifically in favor of slavery, which they did in sentimental novels intended to sway their readers. I argue that each of the authors of the works discussed in this thesis reframe the African American plight in order to portray what the authors feel is the idealized version of African Americans, regardless of whether it had any bearing on reality. In this way, white superiority remained intact. Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, while advocating for the abolition of slavery, treats her enslaved characters as childlike and simplistic. Eastman’s...Show moreThe American slavery debate, raging from the early nineteenth century up until the Civil War, almost destroyed the Union through its increasing political, economical and social anxiety. Southerners argued against any federal interference of their institution of slavery and abolitionists, especially those who were more radical, vehemently opposed any continuation of the institution. In this tumult, several writers took up the pen to argue against or specifically in favor of slavery, which they did in sentimental novels intended to sway their readers. I argue that each of the authors of the works discussed in this thesis reframe the African American plight in order to portray what the authors feel is the idealized version of African Americans, regardless of whether it had any bearing on reality. In this way, white superiority remained intact. Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, while advocating for the abolition of slavery, treats her enslaved characters as childlike and simplistic. Eastman’s Aunt Phillis’s Cabin portrays her enslaved characters as utterly devotional to the white families they work for, going even as far as to argue for removing their own autonomy so to better serve their masters. And Page’s In Ole Virginia, written during the post-Reconstruction period, portrays free African Americans as witnesses to the better times experienced while in servitude.Show less

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The Construction of Race and the Politics of Memory in American Anti- and Pro-Slavery Fiction from Harriet Beecher Stowe to Thomas Nelson Page