Uncle Tom's Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852, shed light on the harsh reality of slavery and racial injustice in the United States through the stories of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering slave, and other slaves as they are subjected to cruel treatment by slave owners despite the slave owners attempting to justify slavery with excuses rather than confronting the immorality of the institution. The novel powerfully portrayed the humanity of slaves and helped galvanize anti-slavery sentiments in the United States and abroad.