Nina Baym, et al., eds., The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 4th ed., Vol. 1, Norton, 1994.

An anthology containing Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence, showing his initial condemnation of slavery.

This is a good general introduction to the themes and historical context of Uncle Tom's Cabin, with a reading of the text in terms of the problem of evil.

Ann Douglas, The Feminization of American Culture, Avon, 1978.

A classic study of American culture during Stowe's era, which relates the religiosity of the times both to the abolitionist movement and the marginalization of women.

Thomas F. Gossett, Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture, Southern Methodist University Press, 1985.

A cultural study of Uncle Tom's Cabin beginning with the political environment surrounding Stowe from her birth in 1811 to the reception of the novel from 1852 to...