Final answer:
Harriet Beecher Stowe authored Uncle Tom's Cabin, which brought attention to the horrors of slavery and influenced the antislavery movement. It was widely read in the North, inciting both support for abolition and severe criticism from the South.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author of Uncle Tom's Cabin is Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the novel is significant because it played a pivotal role in the abolitionist movement leading up to the American Civil War. Stowe, inspired by her strong moral convictions against the institution of slavery, used her narrative to depict the brutal conditions of slavery and its moral and societal repercussions. The novel was a bestseller, circulating widely in the North, and served as a catalyst for discussions on the evils of slavery and its moral implications, particularly affecting perceptions by illustrating the suffering of characters such as Uncle Tom and Eliza. In addition to influencing public opinion, the book also triggered vehement responses in the South, where it was denounced as slanderous, leading to a rise of pro-slavery literature as a counter-narrative. Overall, Uncle Tom's Cabin significantly influenced literature, history, and the course of the antislavery movement.
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