Uncle Tom's Cabin | Historical Context

The Fugitive Slave Law
In its early years as a nation, the United States gradually became divided into two main regions, the North and South. These regions were growing increasingly more different in terms of their economic systems and ways of life. By the 1830s, the North was becoming more urban and industrial, employing free labor. The South was evolving into a more agrarian, or agricultural, culture that depended upon slave labor. The two regions shared less and less, and they began to disagree over the issue of slavery.

Following the Mexican War (1846-48), America...


[The entire page is 1052 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...