Question

Which statement best describes how slavery was presented in Uncle Tom's Cabin. A slavery was presented as a political problem for Congress to solve. B slavery was presented as an economic requirement for the south. C slavery was presented as a moral problem which every person needed to confront D slavery was presented as a part of the south's social heritage

Answer 1

When Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly" in 1850, she took her learnings from being an anti-abolitionist since 1830, combined them with her Christian faith and created the story as a response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, that's considered to be one of the reasons that influenced the start of the American Civil War.  

In her tale, she aims to question the morality of slavery and how this institution conflicted with her Christianity, and does this through the usage of strong imagery, racist depictions and the use of the stereotypes of the time in order to paint a clear picture of the reality that slave had to deal with.  

The combination of all these elements resulted in the fact that, more than a political or economical issue, slavery was a moral problem.  

So the correct answer is C: Slavery was presented as a moral problem which every person needed to confront

Answer 2

The correct answer is C: in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' slavery was presented as a moral problem which every person needed to confront.

The author of the novel was a strong abolicionist, which is why the main theme of the book is the evil of slavery. First she presents an ideal situation for slaves in which they have a seemingly positive relationship with their masters at the Shelbys’ house, and again at the St. Clares’, but in spite of this, slaves suffer since they continue to be sold and thus, their families are destroyed, and they cannot even cry for their dead because they have to keep on serving, just to name a few examples.

The scenario changes when the reader is taken into the Legree plantation. There, all kind of abuses take place, presenting, thus, a less ideal situation for slaves.

This contrast between the two scenarios is the key point that leads to the main theme being debated: if slavery is wrong in the best of cases because it makes slaves suffer, in the worst of cases it is just inhuman. This is the reason why slavery is presented as a moral problem which every person who owns slaves needs to confront.