Uncle Tom's Cabin Newsletter
White Superiority in the 1850's
What Message Were Magazines and Other Pop Culture outlets Passing on to Society?
Popular culture in the 1850's created negative perceptions of the African American society through stereotypes in stage performances and songs; this created a distinct separation in the social hierarchy according to ethnicity in mid-nineteenth century America.
The Auction Sale
The downcast eyes and elite clothing of the white slave owners emphasizes the social differences and lower class of the African American slaves.
Chapter 12, Uncle Tom's Cabin: Illustrated Edition
The frightened look of the young African American slave and the dominating white slave owners illustrates the dichotomy of a superior white male to the inferior slave.
Legree Threatening Tom
Legree's stance as he threatens Tom reinforces the idea that the slave owner possess complete authority over every slave; further proving the separation of slaves and whites.
Topsy in Front of the Mirror
Topsy's desire to change her skin tone exemplifies the suffering of the African Americans and their yearning to change their ethnicity.
Hunt for Runaway Slaves
The hunt for runaway slaves displays the idea that the slaves are nothing but possessions to the white slave owners; their humanity lacks any meaning because of their low class.
Sriya Reddy
A) The dependability of the Slaves was a subtle idea conveyed in the images of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Although the slaves were seen as the lowest social class, The elite whites relied on them to gain profit. With their constant depiction in popular culture, whites acknowledge their dependency on the slaves.
B) A surprising element of the images is the blatant disrespect and suffering the white slave owners put on the slaves. Although it was obvious that slaves were considered second class citizens. It's shocking to realize that white never even acknowledged the human elements of slaves
Gauri Ketkar
A) The most subtle ideas are that one minor detail of a person, such as the color of their skin, gave people the right to treat blacks badly. Their skin color dictated their hierarchy on the social ladder.
B) What surprised me the most was the lack of protesting of the African Americans in the images. In fact one of the images a little girl thought that being white was a desired quality as she used makeup to change her skin tone