Prelude to Civil War: A Return to “Uncle Tom's Cabin"

This class will review Abolitionist literature of the 1850's, with the most focus on Uncle Tom's Cabin and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s follow up work, The Keys to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was her vigorous defense of the storyline and characters portrayed in the earlier publication.

The course bibliography lists 11 books that will be reviewed during the lectures. One lecture is also devoted to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the debate on issues surrounding enslaved people.

The study of this Abolitionist literature of the 1850s, and the earlier thoughts and writings of the Founding Fathers in the 1780s, is critical to the understanding of the catalysts for the Civil War.

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Instructor: David Urquia

David is a recently retired Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University, now pursuing research projects on Civil War history. He is a member of history groups such as Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Lincolnville Historical Society, the Petersburg Battlefield Foundation, and the Civil War Roundtable of Pamplin Historical Park. He has taught several history classes for Belfast Senior College in 2024 and 2025.

Image: Historical sketch, unknown artist.