Racism in Harriet Beecher Stowe and Wendell Phillips

Both Harriet Beecher Stowe, in her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Wendell Phillips, in his speech, "Toussaint L'Ouverture," make arguments against slavery, but in distinctly different ways. Stowe makes no effort to deny racialism, while Phillips does so adamantly. Phillips, speaking to a largely antislavery audience, argues rationally against slavery precisely on the grounds of racial equality, which was a minority opinion even within the abolitionist movement. Stowe, on the other hand, appeals to mainstream America by upholding and romanticizing prevailing racialist theories. She argues against slavery using Christian evangelical values and making direct sentimental appeals.

In his speech "Toussaint L'Ouverture," Phillips argues that the slave Toussaint is every bit an equal to other military heroes, if not superior to them. Toussaint led the only successful slave revolution in North America when he drove the French off of San Domingo. Phillips compares Toussaint to past military heroes by saying that, while Napoleon was educated in the best European military schools, the slave never saw a soldier until he was fifty years old. Cromwell's army consisted of upper-class Englishmen, and Napoleon had the best troops in Europe, while Toussaint drove out the Europeans with a band of oppressed slaves. Phillips calls him an "unmixed Negro, his father stolen from Africa," thus "If anything, therefore, that I say of him tonight moves your admiration, remember, the black race claims it all." L'Ouverture also never broke his word, had admirable courage and endurance, and was an amazing leader, Phillips says. After the revolution, Toussaint even brought order and tolerance to the island. All the evidence goes to show that this hero, who has no white blood in him, is as worthy of respect as the greatest white military leaders in history. He had every disadvantage as he formed his army and defeated the enemy, such as the fact that the slaves he united all spoke different languages and could barely communicate. Plus, the people who have told the stories praising him are his enemies. No uneducated slave was able to preserve the memory of Toussaint, so the many heroic tales of his deeds and conquests are remembered with awe and respect by those he fought against and defeated. Though he is not white, that should not be a reason to think less of him, because an inferior race could not produce such a person, especially one who had to overcome so much adversity to attain his position.

Phillips uses this illustration of racial equality to support his stance against slavery. The speech as a whole celebrates the successful revolution against slavery by praising the man who made it happen. Phillips speaks favorably of the army that was forged to drive out the slave holders. Then he talks of the peaceful, orderly society formed in their wake, where "You might trust a child with a bag of gold to go from Samana to Port-au-Prince without risk. Peace was in every household; the valleys laughed with fertility; culture climbed the mountains; the commerce of the world was represented in its harbors." Even the fact that Phillips would choose such a person and such a situation for his speech shows what he thinks of slavery. He shows that blacks are as capable as whites of creating and appreciating a civilized society. Thus, there is even less justification for slavery, after this illustration.

Though he delivered his speeches many times and they became very popular, Phillips' position in support of racial equality was not a widely held view. Though his audiences, who were usually northerners, were probably mostly antislavery, they were not necessarily in agreement with him. The idea of racial equality was a radical one among abolitionists, never mind the general public. But Phillips does not compromise, and he does not ask for an end to slavery simply out of charity, pity, or sentiment. He demands and end to slavery based on the evidence that blacks are in no way inferior, despite public opinion. Phillips' goal is not to relate to his audience or meet anyone half way. His goal is to say it like he sees it, no matter the popular sentiment.

While Phillips found some measure of popularity in his time, Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel obtained unmatched mass popularity. Jane Tompkins of the University of Chicago calls Uncle Tom's Cabin "the most powerful book ever written by an American." Stowe's opinion of racialism and racial equality, though popular at the time, is no longer held, while Phillip's radical views are today's unquestioned standards.

Stowe upheld the prevailing racialist theory, that though blacks are people with souls, they are quite different from whites, and certainly inferior. The stereotypes held that Negros were more emotional, rhythmic, loyal, childlike, and servile. The slave Tom is the best example of this: He is unfailingly loyal to his master and refuses all suggestions to escape. Racial differences are fixed and distinct, according to the racialist theory. This gives more importance to the ratios of black and white heritage in a mulatto person, because the differences are so marked. Though a person with any black blood is automatically inferior, as we see in the slaves George, Eliza and Harry, who are mulatto, they are still more heroic and desiring of freedom than a pure black slave.

Despite Stowe's acceptance and support of racialism, she still opposes slavery, but obviously on different grounds than Phillips. While Phillips opposes slavery because of the fallacy of the idea that blacks are inferior, Stowe opposes slavery out of Christian charity. Slavery makes the slaves out to be objects and property and denies that they are human beings, though they might be inferior human beings.

When Mr. Shelby has financial problems, he is forced to sell off some of his property to a slave trader. The property he sells off is Tom, and Eliza's son, Harry. Eliza, fueled by motherly love, runs away with Harry and makes a dangerous river crossing to protect her son and keep him with her. George escapes north so that he can be with his wife and his son. When Mr. Wilson recognizes the escaped George and confronts him to try to convince him to return to his master, George tells him, "look at me, now. Don't I sit before you, every way, just as much a man as you are? Look at my face, -- look at my hands, -- look at my body, . . . why am I not a man, as much as anybody?" When Mr. Wilson appeals to situations in the Bible that involve slaves, George replies, "Don't quote the Bible at me that way, Mr. Wilson. . . . To quote Bible to a fellow in my circumstances, is enough to make him give it up altogether." Stowe develops these wrenching situations, with a generous helping of sentimentality, to demonstrate how even the lowest human is still human, and still has needs and desires and feelings.

Tom, though beaten to death by the evil Simon Legree, still has a place in his heart for forgiveness. He shows himself to be the better man by loving Simon to the end and desiring his salvation. Even the basest slave, such as Tom, can understand and take to heart the evangelical Christian message of salvation offered to all men. Tom knows that the right thing to do is not to fight back, and he gives his life away in the process. Stowe appeals to the reader's sense of the right thing to do by demonstrating the harm of slavery on the family and the individual.

Stowe's novel had a much larger impact than any of Phillips' work. While Phillips gave speeches to local, northern, sympathetic audiences, Stowe's work had national and international appeal. Perhaps the reason is because she does not ask as much from the reader as Phillips does, and thus relates better to a larger segment of the population. Phillips' ideas about racial equality were a minority even within the abolitionist movement, while Stowe's ideology matched popular sentiment. She does not ask the reader to make any huge ideological leaps or change his entire way of thinking about the relationship between blacks and whites. She upholds the mainstream view. For example, the characters that end up with freedom in the end are Eliza, George and Harry, all of whom have so little black blood in them that they could pass as white, so possibly they are the most deserving of and eager for freedom.

At the same time, however, she also combines racialist ideology with an antislavery message that is much harder for the racialist to argue away. Phillips' arguments can be dismissed or ignored if one does not agree with his basic premise that blacks and whites are equal. Stowe's basic premise starts where most readers were already at, that blacks are inferior to whites. Then she makes her argument, that despite their inferiority, blacks should still be free because of the evils of slavery and the slave's humanity.

The weight of Stowe's arguments lies in her use of emotion and sentimentality, which also has a very wide appeal. A person would have a hard time denying that something is wrong with slavery after reading about Tom's horrible death at the hands of Legree, or seeing the lengths Eliza and George are willing to go to keep their family intact.

Stowe and Phillips both oppose slavery and voice their opposition through their work. Phillips' work argues that blacks and whites are inherently equal, while Stowe writes from the racialist perspective that blacks are inferior to whites. Phillips uses the argument of equality as the foundation of his argument against slavery. Stowe argues against slavery in spite of the racialist foundation by appealing, through sentiment, romanticism, and Christian love and charity, to the natural rights of all humans and the inherent evils of slavery. Stowe's position created a large public impact because she related so well to mainstream beliefs, while Phillips' position was quite radical at the time.