Who is Uncle Tom?

Little known fact, but the "Uncle Tom" character is based on a real man named Josiah Henson! Josiah Henson was a former slave who escaped to Canada (900 Miles of walking!), acquired some land, and started a school and community for other escaped slaves. The institue was called the British American Institute for Fugitive Slaves!

He taught himself to read and write later on in his life, and he did narrate his book called "The Life of Josiah Henson: Formerly a Slave".

Why did Uncle Tom sorta became associated with being a docile sellout? Well, if i had to guess, Harriet Beecher Stowe (white woman) who wrote about Mr. Henson probably did so/ was forced to write him in that light to attract a more...white audience. I guess the idea of an emancipated black former slave who was intelligent wasn't all too marketable then. Hell, the book supposedly outsold the bible when it dropped.