It is 1850,and Henry Ward Beecher (pictured) has been accused of adultery. Since he is a prominent Congregationalist minister and active abolitionist, the scandal soon taints the entire anti-slavery movement.
Scandal shuts down Uncle Tom's CabinHis sister Harriet had been planning to write an anti-slavery novel, which she tentatively titled "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Fearing to share her brother's public shame, she retreats into private life. She is never heard from again, and the uproar over her brother's behavior causes the entire anti-slavery movement to collapse.
Editor says, what really happened: The trial began in 1875 .. 23 years after the famous novel was published. Many observers believe that "Uncle Tom's Cabin" played a vital role in causing the Civil War and the ensuing abolition of slavery. They included Abraham Lincoln who greeted her at a reception as "the little woman who started the great war".