The Book That Started a War – Uncle Tom's Cabin
             Uncle Tom's Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a realistic, although fictional view of slavery. It focuses on the lives of two slaves, who both start under the ownership of a Mr. Shelby, who is known as a man who treats his slaves well. Mr. Shelby, however, owed money to a man, named Haley, who is described as an evil slave-trader. In return for the debt owed to him, Haley wants two slaves; one being the son of a beautiful mulatto woman named Eliza, and the other the devout Christian Tom, who is Shelby's best slave. Eliza loves her son and rather than lose him to the slave-trader she takes him and heads to Canada, where they can be free. Haley follows her but can't catch her so he goes back to the farm, and brings Tom on a steamboat to the South.
             Tom meets and makes a great impression on a little girl by saving her from drowning. Little Eva St. Clare then persuades her father, Augustine St. Clare to purchase Tom. Augustine is a man against slavery, choosing to let his slaves run freely and do whatever they want. Tom is bought as a man who works at the stable, and is the private driver of Marie St. Clare. Marie was a conceited woman who is too busy worrying about herself to take proper care of Eva, which results in Augustine bringing his cousin, Ophelia, to take care of her and was the reason for his and Eva's traveling on the steamboat where Tom meets them. Meanwhile, Eliza is taken to a Quaker settlement on the border of the slave states where she meets up with George, her husband, who is a highly intelligent slave. They escape and get on a ferry to Canada.
             Tom, on the other hand, is enjoying himself at St. Clare's, where he is having an easy life, until Eva becomes sick, and dies. St. Clare is deeply affected by this, and begins to think about his mortality, and the rights and wrongs of slavery. After much reflection he decides to initiate the freei...