The cultural repercussions of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, are undeniable. Uncle Tom's Cabin became one of the most widely read and deeply insightful books of the nineteenth century. Richard Yarborough observed that “Uncle Tom's Cabin was the epicenter of an enormous cultural phenomenon, the aftershocks of which still affect the relationship between blacks and whites in the United States” (Levine, 524). As a novel that has had such a large impact on America's perception of racial identity and character, one hopes that the truth has been presented. Instead, Stowe's extraordinarily influential novel was a romantic racist text, mirroring nineteenth-century white racial ideology. Uncle Tom's Cabin succeeded in arousing sympathy for slaves and may have strengthened the abolitionist cause. But ultimately, Stowe's portrayal of slaves paralleled the racist romantic ideas common in his time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The doctrine of Romantic Racism, as presented by George M. Fredrickson in his essay, Romantic Racialism in the North, proposes that racial differences exist without inherent hierarchy (Fredrickson, 430). In his essay, Fredrickson outlined various beliefs about the differences between blacks and whites. Caucasians on the other hand were described, in romantic racist thinking, as aggressive, domineering, and eager to conquer (Fredrickson, 431). The submissive black was the portrait of the typical slave person. Slaves were thought to be docile, gentle, faithful, and childlike. Fredrickson goes on to describe Alexander Kinmont's views on the attributes of blacks, consisting of "lightheartedness, a natural talent for music, and above all a willingness to serve" (Fredrickson, 435). This "willingness to serve", docility and servility were all virtues of true Christians. A Unitarian priest, James Freeman Clarke, stated that blacks had “a strong religious tendency and that strength of attachment which is capable of every kind of self-denial and self-sacrifice” (Fredrickson, 436). Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in a time and place steeped in romantic racist thinking. Kinmont expounded the doctrine of Romantic racism in Cincinnati, Ohio, while Stowe resided in the city. Kinmont's influence on Stowe's racial perceptions, reflected in his writing, is undeniable. If there is any doubt as to whether or not the novel is a racist romance text, just look as far as Tom, the main character. Stowe described Tom, the docile and pious slave, as an admirable and sympathetic character, willing to sacrifice everything for the common good, his faith, and his master. Its features resemble those of romantic racist thinking. Stowe's portrayal of Tom as a strong, gentle man who also possessed a "humble simplicity" (18) falls into the classic romantic racist characterization of blacks as simple and childlike. Tom refuses to escape after hearing the news that he has been sold by Mr. Shelby into the cruel hands of Haley, an incorrigible slave trader. He chooses not to escape for the sake of the rest of the slaves on the Shelby plantation and out of loyalty to his master. Tom's willingness to serve and Christian virtue are depicted throughout the novel. To reassure his wife Chloe that everything will be okay, Tom says, “There'll be the same God there, Chloe, as there is here” (Stowe, 81). Tom's faith in God and docility do not waver even when he is betrayed by his master and torn away from his family. Tom's passivity is due to his deep religious values, which force him to love everyone and endurealtruistically a great pain for life. Stowe describes the protagonist of his novel as a prototypical slave, according to the precepts of romantic racism. Tom is humble, docile, faithful to his masters, a perfect Christian and submissive. His “willingness to serve” is shown by the description of him “standing wistfully surveying the multitude of faces crowding around him, for someone he would like to call master” (Stowe, 289). The novel focuses on Tom's behavior and morals. Its virtues are in line with romantic racist beliefs. It is inevitable that it is a romantic and racist text. Stowe observes that "...of all the races on earth, none have received the Gospel with so much docility as the Africans. The principle of trust and unquestioning faith... is more native to this race than to any other... whose abundance put that of a higher and more skilful culture to shame” (Stowe, 343). This statement embodies romantic racist thinking. It provides a glimpse into the supposed internal beliefs of slaves: it shows a difference between whites and blacks without belittling the personal qualities of either race. The Caucasian characters within the novel also reflect romantic racist thinking. Both Haley and Simon Legree possess the stereotypical characteristics attributed to white men. Haley, the slave trader who buys Tom from Mr. Shelby, is a harsh and ruthless man. He separates families without showing emotion or sympathy and talks about the death of slaves as part of the business: "Yes, it is tolerable quickly, death is; with the climate and one thing and another, they die so as to maintain the market quite lively" (Stowe, 86). This characterization of the white slave trader parallels the racist romantic portrayal of white males as aggressive, dominant, and materialistic (Fredrickson, 431). Simon Legree embodies the typical Caucasian male, as far as romantic racism goes. Legree is driven to assert his dominance over Tom. In one of the many confrontations between Legree and Tom, Legree angrily says, “I'll chase you, again, and take you under…” (Stowe, 339). Legree desired to dominate Tom, but Tom's invincible faith and good will prevented the master from doing so. To assert his supremacy, Legree had to kill Tom, beating him to death. Even the female characters, within Uncle Tom's Cabin, are linked to romantic racist stereotypes. Aunt Chloe, Tom's wife, is depicted as a jovial cook who loves to serve. When readers meet this character she is described as the typical "mommy". Stowe portrays Aunt Chloe as fat, pitch black, and that when company came to the house it "awakened all the energies in her soul" (Stowe, 17). Another "mommy" trait that Aunt Chloe possessed was that she was the controller of her house, as shown when she scolded Mose and Pete: "Stop it, now, will you? Better look after yourself, or I'll get your button." -hole further down, when mas'r George is gone!" (Stowe, 22). The "mom" stereotype is not the only aspect of racism attributed to Aunt Chloe. She is also assigned the trait of being “home-loving and affectionate” (Stowe, 82). In reference to Aunt Chloe's shocked reaction to her husband's fate, Stowe observes, “To appreciate the sufferings of the Negroes sold to the South, one must remember all the instinctive affections of that race they are peculiarly strong" (Stowe, 82). This is an incredibly romantic racist comment. Stowe is saying that the "instinctive affections" are unique to that race. It returns to the romantic racist sentiment of racial differences with no inherent hierarchy (Fredrickson, 430). It is also worth noting that the only slaves who rebelled against their masters were all of purebred descent.