Stowe, Har‧ri‧et Beech‧er /stəʊ, ˈhæriət ˈbiːtʃə/
(1811–96) a US writer best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which influenced many people in the US, especially in the North, to oppose slavery (=system in which black people were owned by white people and made to work for them). In the 20th and 21st century, the book has been criticized for the way it shows the relationship between slaves and their owners, and the expression ‘Uncle Tom’ is used in a disapproving way to describe an African-American man or woman who is too eager to please white people. ⇒ Uncle Tom

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲