Uncle Tom's Cabin

I finished Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is still an incredible book--I can understand its impact on pre-abolition. The descriptions of the horrors of slavery are so tangible, not just some discourse on the evils. I love the details about the women who cooked and their importance, even as slaves. The story is as heart-rending as I

remember.

I didn't remember the role of religion in the story, and it is at the very center. The church completely supported slavery and was used to justify and enforce it, at the same time, the enslaved characters in the book found strength through their Christian beliefs. In the book, the enslaved people had Christianity instilled into them. They had to strive to be good Christians, and usually, this meant being proper slaves. I always wondered why the enslaved people, sometimes hundreds of them, didn't just revolt and kill the people controlling them. This book made me realize the insidious mind control and institutionalization of slavery. The reality supported by the church and state was slavery.