Blog 1: Women, Religion, and Slavery
In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the
women are portrayed much differently than the men yet very similar to one
another, in particular Mrs. Shelby and Mrs. Bird. Both of these women are
described as sweet, innocent, domestic and loving wives/mothers. They both are
very dedicated to Christianity and both oppose slavery in some way.
They use religion as a weapon towards their husbands when
discussing slavery. Mrs. Shelby said, “This is God’s curse on slavery!—a bitter,
bitter, most accursed thing!—a curse to the master and a curse to the slave! I
was a fool to think I could make anything good out of such a deadly evil. It is
a sin to hold a slave under laws like ours, -- I always felt it was, -- I
always thought so when I was a girl, -- I thought so still more after I joined
the church; but I thought I could glide it over, -- I thought, by kindness, and
care, and instruction, I could make the condition of mine better than freedom”
(p.31). Similarly Mrs. Bird said to her husband, “Obeying God never brings on
public evils. I know it can’t. It’s always safest all around to do as He bids
us” (p.73). They both are trying to get their husbands to realize what they are
saying or have done about slavery is wrong. Mrs. Shelby wants her husband to know
how she feels about selling Tom and Eliza’s son to Haley. Mrs. Bird wants her
husband to admit that slavery is wrong and their entire argument is about
whether it is alright or not to help escaped slaves.
Mrs. Shelby talks as though being her slave is better than
being free when really there is no “good” slavery. Mrs. Bird has somewhat
already realized this and feels the obligation to help escaped slaves. This
connects to My Bondage and My Freedom, by Fredrick Douglas, which I read
in high school. The theme the autobiography is about is a woman who tries to teach
her young male slave to read. Her goal like Mrs. Shelby and Mrs. Bird is to be
kind and have positive slavery. In the end Fredrick Douglas writes that it is
impossible to have positive slavery because slavery as an institution is corrupt.
There is no such thing as “good” slavery.
