Uncle Tom's Cabin

People who disagree with me often claim that my historical views do not conform with "modern" interpretations. For my enlightenment, they recommend "modern" history books, books written after the 1960s. However, one correspondent took the opposite approach insisting that I needed to read a book from the past, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Of course, like most of you, I read the book years ago when I was younger. And, although I thought I remembered it, I decided to read it again; this time slowly and analytically.

Its author, Harriet Beecher Stowe was the daughter, sister, and wife of ministers and fervent Abolitionists who used New England pulpits to passionately proselytize against slavery. So it is not surprising that she became an Abolitionist and wrote her influential novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Although the book is the most famous of all anti-slavery polemics, I suspect most people are not aware of many of the opinions held by its author.

In rereading her book, I was first struck by Mrs. Stowe insistence that slavery in the South was no worse than slavery in the North had been. Furthermore, Stowe did not condemn Southern plantation owners but rather placed the onus of slavery on the slave system itself; especially New England slave traders, New York bankers, and other Northern entrepreneurs who profited from slave commerce.

Writer and Civil Rights activist James Baldwin was incensed by her position, stating: "It was her object to show that the evils of slavery were the inherent evils of a bad system, and not always the fault of those who had become involved in it and were its actual administrators." To Baldwin this opinion was racist and abdicated slave owners of personal responsibility.

Civil rights activists were also irritated by Mrs. Stowe’s support of the American Colonization Society’s belief that slaves should be returned to Africa, support she shared with Abraham Lincoln.

Although an Abolitionist, Stowe belonged to the "gradual emancipation" school. She believed that slaves must receive at least a basic education before being freed. And she insisted that they be converted to Christianity. After these two conditions were met, they should be recolonized to Africa.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published two years after the Compromises of 1850. During a hectic two-month period, Congress enacted several laws designed to placate both pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. The law that especially rankled Mrs. Stowe was the Fugitive Slave Act, which required that all run-away slaves be returned to their owners. She thought it was hypocrisy for Northern congressmen, who publicly condemned slavery, to enact the Compromises of 1850.

Harriet Beecher Stowe decided that she could make her point more dramatically by using a fiction format. Her goal was not to write the great American novel, but, like Charles Dickens, create sympathy for members of an underclass of society, slaves.

The character "Uncle Tom" grew up on the plantation of his first master, Mr. Shelby, a Southerner who was kindly disposed toward his slaves. In the course of events, Mr. Shelby incurs such large debts that he must either sell Tom, his most valuable slave, or sell all the others. This dilemma allows Mrs. Stowe to demonstrate how the economic realities of the slave system itself often precluded humanitarian considerations.

Uncle Tom’s second master, Mr. St. Clare, was also a Southerner and a compassionate slave owner. Mrs. Stowe uses St. Clare’s Vermont cousin, Miss Ophelia, to illustrate the Northern view of slavery. Miss Ophelia chastises St. Clare: "It’s a perfect abomination for you to defend such a system – you all do – all you southerners." But, annoyed by the slipshod manner in which the house servants conduct themselves; she calls them "shiftless." Miss Ophelia is also offended by the close companionship of St. Clare’s daughter, Little Eva, with Tom and the other slaves, which she deems inappropriate.

Uncle Tom’s third and final master is perhaps the most famous villain in American literature – Simon Legree: a New England Yankee. Legree amasses enough money pirating to purchase a plantation in Louisiana. As a plantation owner, he regularly beats, curses and abuses his slaves. In one of his beatings of Tom, Legree's rage boils over and he accidentally kills the noble slave.

Toward the end of the book, an escaped slave, George Harris, realizes he can now achieve his dream of joining the colony in Liberia: "Let me go to form part of a nation, which shall have a voice in the councils of nations, and then we can speak. We have the claim of an injured race for reparation. But, then, I do not want it. I want a country, a nation, of my own."

In a postscript to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe catalogues the evils of the slavery system and then addresses Southerners:

"The author hopes she has done justice to that nobility, generosity, and humanity which in many cases characterizes individuals at the South. Such instances save us from utter despair of our kind. To you, generous, noble-minded men and women of the South – you, whose virtue, and magnanimity, and purity of character are the greater for the severer trial it has encountered – to you is her appeal."

"Do you say that the people of the free states have nothing to do with it? The people of the free states have defended, encouraged, and participated; and are more guilty for it, before God, than the South. There are multitudes of slaves temporarily owned, and sold again, by merchants in Northern cities; and shall the whole guilt or obloquy of slavery fall only on the South? Northern men, Northern mothers, Northern Christians, have something more to do than denounce their brethren at the South; they have to look to the evil among themselves."

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published almost ten years before the War Between the States. Harriet Beecher Stowe did as much as anyone to encourage "gradual emancipation" of the New England sort..

Gail Jarvis [send him mail], a CPA living in Beaufort, SC, is an advocate of the voluntary union of states established by the founders.

THE WAREHOUSING ACT OF 1846

Congressional GLOBE
29th Congress, 1st session

July 31, 1846 | 1172 | 1173 |

August 1, 1846 | 1178 |

August 6, 1846 | 1199 |

CG 29-1, page 1172-1173

So the House resolved itself into Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, (Mr. Hopkins, of Virginia, in the chair,) and proceeded to the consideration of the following bill from the Senate:

A BILL to amend an act entitled "An act to provide revenue from imports, and to change and modify, existing laws imposing duties on imports, and for other purposes."

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the twelfth section of the act entitled "An act to provide revenue from imports and to change and modify existing laws imposing duties on imports, and for other purposes," approved the thirtieth day of August, one thousand eight hundred and forty-two, is hereby amended so as hereafter to read as follows :

[Sec. 12.] And be it further enacted, That on and after the day this act goes into operation the duties on all imported goods, wares, or merchandise, shall be paid in cash: Provided, That in all cases of failure or neglect to pay the duties within the period allowed by law to the importer to make entry thereof, or whenever the owner, importer, or consignee, shall make entry for warehousing the same in writing, in such form, and supported by such proof, as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, the said goods, wares, ormerchandise, shall be taken possession of by the collector, and deposited in the public stores, or in other stores to be agreed on by the collector or chief revenue officer of the port and the importer, owner, or consignee, the said stores to be secured in the manner provided for by the first section of the act of the twentieth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, entitled "An act providing for the deposite of wines and distilled spirits in public warehouses, and for other purposes," there to be kept with due and reasonable care, at the charge and risk of the owner, importer, consignee, or agent, and subject at all times to their order upon the payment of the proper duties and expenses, to be ascertained on due entry thereof for warehousing, and to be secured by bond of the owner, importer, or consignee, with surety or sureties to the satisfaction of the collector, in double the amount of the said duties, and in such form as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe: Provided, That no merchandise shall be withdrawn from any warehouse in which it maybe deposited, in a less quantity than in an entire package, bale, cask, or box, unless in bulk, nor shall merchandise so imported in bulk be delivered except in the whole quantity of each, parcel, or in a quantity not less than one ton weight, unless by special authority of the Secretary of the Treasury. And in case the owner, importer, consignee, or agent of any goods on which the duties have not been paid shall give to the collector satisfactory security that the said goods shall be landed out of the jurisdiction of the United States, in the manner now required by existing laws relating to exportations for the benefit of drawback, the collector and naval officer, if any, on an entry to reexport the same, shall, upon payment of the appropriate expense, permit the said goods, under the inspection of the proper officers, to be shipped without the payment of any duties thereon. And in case any goods, wares, or merchandise, deposited as aforesaid, shall remain in public store beyond one year, without payment of the duties and charges thereon, then said goods, wares, or merchandise, shall be appraised by the appraisers of the United States, if there be any at such port, and if none, then by two merchants to be designated and sworn by the collector for that purpose, and sold by the collector at public auction, on due public notice thereof being first given, in the manner and for the time to be prescribed by a general regulation of the Treasury Department; and at said public sale distinct printed catalogues descriptive of said goods, with the appraised value affixed thereto, shall be distributed among the persons present at said sale; and a reasonable opportunity shall be given before such sale, to persons desirous of purchasing, to inspect the quality of such goods; and the proceeds of said sales, alter deducting the usual rate of storage at the port in question, with all other charges and expenses, including duties, shall be paid over to the owner, importer, consignee, or agent, and proper receipts taken for the same : Provided, That the overplus, if any there be, of the proceeds of such sales, after the payment of storage, charges, expenses, and duties as aforesaid, remaining unclaimed for the space of ten days after such sales, shall be paid by the collector into the treasury of the United States; and the said collector shall transmit to the Treasury Department with the said overplus, a copy of the inventory, appraisement, and account of sales, specifying the marks, numbers, and descriptions of the packages sold, their contents, and appraised value, the name of the vessel and master in which, and of the port or place whence they were imported, and the time when, and the name of the person or persons to whom said goods were consigned in the manifest, and the duties and charges to which the several consignments were respectively subject; and the receipt or certificate of the collector shall exonerate the master or person having charge or command of any ship or vessel, in which paid good, wares, or merchandise, were imported, from all claim of the owner or owners thereof, who shall nevertheless, on due proof of their interest, be entitled to receive from the treasury the amount of any overplus paid into the same under the provisions of this act: Provided, That so much of the fifty-sixth section of the general collection law of the second of March, seventeen hundred and ninety-nine, and the thirteenth section of the act of the thirtieth of August, eighteen hundred and forty-two, to provide revenue from imports, and to change and modify existing laws imposing duties on imports, and for other purposes, as conflicts with the provisions of this act, shall be, and is hereby, repealed excepting that nothing contained in this act shall be construed to extend the time now prescribed by law for selling unclaimed goods: Provided, also, That all goods of a perishable nature, and all gunpowder, fire-crackers, and explosive substances, deposited as aforesaid shall be sold forthwith.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That any goods, when deposited in the public stores in the manner provided for in the foregoing section, may be withdrawn therefrom, and transported to any other port of entry, under the restrictions provided for in the act of the 2d March,1799, in respect to the transportation of goods, wares, and merchandise, from one collection district to another, to be exported with the benefit of drawback; and the owner of such goods so to be withdrawn for transportation shall give his bond with sufficient sureties, in double the amount of the duties charge-able on them, for the deposite of such goods in store in the port of entry to which they shall be destined, such bond to be cancelled when the goods shall be re-deposited in store in the collection district to which they shall be transported: Provided, That nothing contained in this section shall be con-strued to extend the time during which goods may be kept in store, after their original importation and entry beyond the term of one year.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That if any warehoused goods shall be fraudulently concealed in, or removed from, any public or private warehouse, the same shall be forfeited to the United States; and all persons convicted of fraudulently concealing or removing such goods, or of aiding or abetting such concealment or removal, shall be liable to the same penalties which are now imposed for the fraudulent introduction of goods into the United States; and if any importer or proprietor of any warehoused goods, or any person in his employ, shall by any contrivance fraudulently open the warehouse, or shall gain access to the goods, except in the presence of the proper officer of the customs, acting in the execution of his duty, such importer or proprietor shall forfeit and pay, for every such offence, one thousand dollars. And any person convicted of altering, defacing, or obliterating any mark or marks which have been placed by any officer of the revenue on any package or packages of warehoused goods, shall forfeit and pay, for every such offence, five hundred dollars.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the collectors of the several ports of the United States shall make quarterly reports to the Secretary of the Treasury, according to such general instructions as the said Secretary may give, of all goods which remain in the warehouses of their respective ports, specifying the quantity and description of the same; which returns, or tables formed thereon, the Secretary of the Treasury shall forthwith cause to he published in the principal papers of the city of Washington.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized to make from time to time, such regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the United States, as may be necessary to give full effect to the provisions of this act, and secure a just accountability under the same; and it shall be the duty of the Secretary to report such regulations to each succeeding session of Congress.

The bill, having been read through, was taken up by sections.

CG 29-1, 1178

The title was amended to read as follows:

An act to amend an act entitled "An act to provide revenue from imports, and to change and modify existing laws imposing duties on imports, and for other purposes."

CG 29-1, 1199

A message was received from the President of the United States announcing that he had approved and signed the warehouse bill, and bills for the relief of John Crowell, Harriet Ward, and Ebenezer Ballard.

probably most southerners didn't own slaves... even if a large percentage of them did own a slave, you can assume a lot of them owned perhaps one or only a few slaves to do the housework and sexually molest... the way people today have a philipino nanny to clean the house and sexually molest

but even if you didn't own an agricultural plantation populated by hundreds of slaves constantly being abused and worked to death, you probably benefit by the mere fact of not being a slave

without a visible class of black slaves, who is going to be beaten and worked to death growing export crops of cotton and tobacco? without any mexicans to do the work you're going to have to beat to death one black man to scare the rest of them into doing the work to bring a cash crop in on time... that alone is a pretty good incentive for being white... whether or not you, yourself, own a slave

because without a cash crop for export there's no need for the services of people like captain samuel clemens to write romantic novels about piloting steam ships up and down the mississippi river... and in all likelihood mark twain wouldn't have had the time for moral reflections trying to reconcile slavery and racism

remember huck finn's dilemna... he loves his friend jim the black slave, but he feels pressured to do what he thinks is right, which is to return jim to his rightful owner... aunt polly must have been some tough customer with that strap to screw a kid up so bad

perhaps southerners did fight for states rights... having slavery so up front and personal they were probably well aware of their fate if the likes of george bush and the rest of the federal elite ever managed to pass themselves off as southerners

you can move north and compete for a job with a starving peasant from ireland or take your chances fighting for states rights in the civil war

northerners certainly didn't fight for federal power... they fought because they knew that if the blacks were slaves, they too were slaves... if you have to compete in a market with slave made goods you're no better than a slave yourself

that's why i admire the good people down in places like maine when they say no to walmarts opening in their town... they don't want the waltons steamrolling every small business in town, selling garbage made by the slaves of the communist government party of china

i think somewhere every man is hardwired for solidarity... we don't necessarily want a black family moving in next door but we have some instinct for sensing out where we stand in the pecking order of things and when we have to band together to fight for our common interests... southern white men must have been content not to be black... northerners must have worried whether they wouldn't be next in line

That still speaks well of Jackson......

A little information for your intellectual stimulation:

Stephen Holding
The New York Times
Dear Mr. Holden,

It was with some disappointment that I read your review of Gods and Generals last February. I have always considered you a fair-minded, sometimes illuminating critic. No one, least of all a filmmaker who has received his share of praise and scorn over the years, questions your prerogatives and opinions. As the French say, "Vive la difference!" That said, however, you were simply wrong in your assertion in today's NY Times that ."..all the critics agree with me."

It is hard to miss the extreme hostility that some critics (which based on your latest comments now include yourself) have shown towards this film. It goes beyond movie-reviewing. It's as if the film hit a raw nerve or scraped at an open wound. Perhaps you are inclined to put the whole "ludicrous" experience behind you. May I humbly suggest, that at another time, perhaps years from now, when you are no longer reviewing movies, content in writing a memoir or a film history, that you re-visit the film in DVD.

But for now, I would greatly appreciate a simple correction in my favorite newspaper. As you can see from the reviews I have quoted below, all the critics did not agree with you.

I will continue to read your reviews with great interest as always. With best wishes for a prosperous and happy New Year.

~ Ron Maxwell

"Surpasses even Gettysburg as a Civil War film masterpiece." JIM FERGUSON / FOX TV

"Stirring, spectacular epic achievement." "History has never been brought to life with such insight and vivid detail, with such vibrant emotions, with so much to learn and so much to live in a movie experience that is awesome to behold." DAVID SHEEHAN / CBS-TV

"A big, ambitious, sweeping epic ... Stephen Lang gives one of the best performances of his career." JEFFREY LYONS / NBC-TV

."..powerful, riveting, monumental... divine inspiration." "Ron Maxwell's attention to detail effortlessly puts vivid life into names once memorized from a History book." STAN URANKAR / CLEVELAND SUN NEWSPAPERS

"People passionate about History, and especially about the Civil War...will love this one." PAUL VILLENEUVE / LE JOURNAL DE MONTREAL

."..thoughtful..." ."..a heartfelt film with an enlightening message. " "The production values, including the cinematography, art direction and musical score, are each outstanding." PHIL BOATWRIGHT / BP NEWS

."..remarkable battle sequences..." "Maxwell's re-creation and grand design make this movie special - along with Duvall's re-strained, majestic portrayal of Lee." MICHAEL WILMINGTON / CHICAGO TRIBUNE

."..an awesome sense of authenticity and scope..." KEVIN THOMAS / LOS ANGELES TIMES

"If you love history...you'll want to see GODS AND GENERALS." ."..Duvall invests his part with integrity and authenticity." ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE / THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

."..strong performances..." ."..massive, incredibly rendered sequences of sustained warfare." ."..astounding battle scenes..." ."..galvanizing performances by Jeff Daniels and Stephen Lang." "Daniels brings the same intellectual panache and understated determination to the part as he did in Gettysburg..." "But it's Lang, as Gen.Stonewall Jackson, who rides off with the movie. He's truly a revelation." TOM SIEBERT / CITY PAPER

"The engrossing performance of Lang as Jackson is the first great performance of 2003. It's the most dynamic screen portrayal of a military man since George C. Scott's Patton in 1970." JACK GARNER / ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE

"GODS AND GENERALS is one of the more remarkable movies of the decade." STEVE SAILER / UPI

"Stunning, inspired, and inspiring, GODS AND GENERALS is the finest Civil War movie ever made - including Gone With The Wind." JIM SVEJDA / CBS RADIO

"Answers and questions some of the great civil war myths." "Daring film-making about a war American's should never forget." "GODS AND GENERALS is a rarity, a historical epic that stays true to the facts. Robert Duvall and Stephen Lang bring the civil war icons Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson to life." RICHARD CROUSE / REEL TO REAL

"GODS AND GENERALS is an extraordinary achievement in filmmaking. The story is fascinating and the performances are outstanding." KAREN BUTLER / UPI

" Offers a powerful human context for understanding the US Civil War!" " Presents in a powerful way the impact of war on the families of the soldiers." "Captures the horror and devastation of war on civilians and soldiers alike." "Jeff Daniels is outstanding as Colonel Chamberlain, leader of the 20th Maine." "Much more than a clash of two armies - a vivid portrait of a nation in conflict with itself." JOHN J. PUNGENTE / SCANNING THE MOVIES BRAVO

"Writer-director Ron Maxwell paints an incredibly vivid portrait of such legendary men as Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. More than that, we get a real sense of life in those troubled times, the strategy and mechanics of battle, as well as the tragedy of pitting brother against brother." "I'm awfully glad I saw it, and if you have a taste for history, you should too. "LEONARD MALTIN / HOT TICKET

"It's like Ken Burns come alive, but with color and clash." "Some films bring out the best in actors. This role is Jeff Daniels' legacy. If there is a third part to this trilogy, he'll complete the arc of triumph of one man's character." "History is not dates and battlefields. It's people and passions...in this film, you're right up against those people, seeing the world from their viewpoint." ."..sweeping, yet sweet; it's an epic with emotion." PATRICK STONER / "FLICKS" PBS

"A compelling tale of honor, values, and the horror of war." "Visceral, engrossing and highly entertaining." "Epic in scale, universal in its humanity." "Superb performances from an exceptional cast." MIKE SARGENT / WBAI-FM

"Duvall and Lang form a dynamic duo that captivates the audience and vividly brings these historical figures to life." "GODS AND GENERALS will teach you all of those things that you missed in history class." WILLIE WAFFLE / WMAL-AM

."..a landmark epic." SUSAN GRANGER / SSG SYNDICATE

"Masterfully done. It was truly moving to see a realistic account of how our country was divided not too long ago." RICH WEST / FMiTV NETWORKS

"GODS and GENERALS is not only the finest movie ever made about the Civil War, it is also the best American Historical Film. Period." BILL KAUFFMAN / AMERICAN ENTERPRISE MAGAZINE

December 30, 2003

Ronald F. Maxwell, writer, producer, director of the movies Gettysburg & Gods and Generals, lives in Los Angeles, California. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Directors Guild of America, and the Writers Guild of America.

It seems some critics really liked the movie.....:))

The clause on page 1172-73 was apparently not the only provision of the Warehousing Act that Congress adopted. This is certain because 15 years later when the act was about to be subverted by the Morrill tariff, Senator Robert Hunter of Virginia rose in opposition where he repeatedly and very clearly stated its storage provisions to have been for three years, not one. This three year term is consistent with the original 1846 bill I quoted from as well as era treasury department documents for enacting a warehousing system, which suggests that the law was either amended or added to shortly after August 1, 1846 and certainly before 1860 to make it three years. Here is Hunter's speech with the relevant sections bolded:

"There is a proposition in it for the virtual repeal of the warehousing law – that law under which New York has prospered so largely – that law to which England owes so much of that centralization of commerce which she has enjoyed in her cities and in her docks for years past. It was said that their warehousing system was originated by Sir Robert Walpole, who, for commercial intelligence, seemed, in this and other respects, to have been far, far ahead of his time. According to the history that is given to us, the men that had made so much money out of the frauds which had been perpetrated through the system of drawbacks and debentures, got up a mob and instigated commotions against him. They beset him as he went to the House of Commons, and made it so disagreeable that he had to abandon the bill. But finally reason conquered prejudice; truth triumphed. The British Government introduced the system, and they allow goods to be warehoused not merely three years, but five years; and then, after five years, the importer may come in and take an account of his goods, pay the duties on those which have been taken and lost or consumed, and re-house the residue again for another five years. I venture to say that there is not a man in the whole United Kingdom who has any character for financial ability or commercial intelligence, who would think of proposing a repeal of that system.

Why should we do it here? Has it not been eminently beneficial since we extended the system to three years? Why, sir, let us look to the history of its operation. I have had a statement made of the goods that were imported and re-exported from this country from the years 1833 to 1846, before the system was established, and for a corresponding period of years from 1848 to 1860. In the first period of thirteen years, the entire re-exportation of merchandize was $79,767,000; and from 1848 to 1860, the re-exportation of goods imported was $146,095,073, nearly double. Of this latter amount of goods re-exported, $92,200,000 worth were re-exported from the warehouses. Thus our ship-owners have derived the profit of freights on this increased trade which we have given to New York. Thus our merchants have derived the profits on these exchanges. Thus the owners of real estate have derived the profits upon storages. Thus New York has been able to become rapidly – and it is since the passage of the warehouse bill that her progress has been most, most rapid – a great emporium and center of commerce. Why is it? It is because, owing to the warehousing system, a great amount of the goods of the world are stored there, and a merchant or a ship-owner can go there and make out an assorted cargo for any part of the globe. If the merchants have not the goods in their stores, they have them in the warehouses. When a man carries a bill to New York, he is sure that he can not only convert it into money, but into any species of commodity or merchandize which he may desire; and that is one reason why the banks have been enabled to stand there, when they were breaking and falling everywhere else. That is the reason that a bill upon New York is worth more than a bill upon other places. That is one thing which has served to make her a great center of commerce.

Nor is that all, sir. Owing to this system, the small dealer, the man of small capital, is able to deal in imported goods. He does not have to pay his duties of forty, fifty, or sixty per cent., or whatever they are, and lie out of the interest of his money, and borrow it a long time before it can be returned to him; but, when he finds he can sell his goods, he goes to the warehouse, pays the duties, disposes of his merchandize, and obtains so speedy a return that he, too, is enabled to deal in imported goods. Thus, the business is not confined to those immense capitalists who are able to advance the money, and wait for the interest and the duty to be returned to them for months, or perhaps years." - Congressional Globe, 36th congress, 2nd session (speech starts on p. 898)

You will note that I bolded the last paragraph as well, which describes in detail the very same result of the warehousing act that non-seq seems to deny as a possibility. As I have stated in full accuracy, the warehousing act boosted NYC because (a) it permitted merchants to import goods without a cash advance to pay the tariffs upon docking and (b) it facilitated wider reexportation among warehoused goods in trade with the rest of the world. The act's advocates and defenders, among them Hunter, openly advocated it upon these two grounds and the speech above is conclusive testimony to that fact.

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