Its central character was noble God-fearing Tom, acquired by a cruel planter named Simon Legree, who beat his enslaved laborers, took female slaves as lovers, and ultimately ordered his overseers to whip Tom to death. The book also depicted the separation of enslaved families and the tragic consequences, as when one Black woman, Cassy, told Tom how, having previously been separated from a son and daughter, she killed her new baby rather than face another separation.
