Final answer:
Harriet Beecher Stowe used firsthand stories from enslaved individuals in Ohio for her portrayal of the South in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and responded to criticism through the narrative of her novel. Despite southern claims of falsehoods, the book's detailed depictions and widespread reception highlighted the brutal realities of slavery, contributing to the antislavery movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Harriet Beecher Stowe, faced with southern criticism for her noteworthy novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, utilized stories of enslaved people she had heard firsthand after moving to Ohio, a place close to the slavery divide. While she did not travel to the South herself, Stowe's novel was informed by direct accounts from those who had experienced slavery and by the severity of reactions from the South, where the book was largely seen as slanderous. Southern defenders of slavery published numerous works attempting to counteract Stowe's portrayal and argued that her depiction of slavery and life in the South contained many false accusations. Her response to the criticism was primarily through the substance of her novel, which emphasized the brutal realities of slavery, including the breaking apart of families and the moral decay it brought to white slaveholders and society as a whole. Despite the powerful protests, her book became a significant antislavery tool in the North, making a substantial impact by selling over 300,000 copies in its first year of publication and continuing to shape the discourse on slavery.