▁bet ray ▁the ▁where about s ▁of ▁two ▁women ▁who ▁had ▁escaped ▁from ▁sla very . ▁St owe ▁revers ed ▁the ▁gender ▁convent ions ▁of ▁slave ▁narr atives ▁by ▁ju xt ap osing ▁Uncle ▁Tom ' s ▁pass ivity ▁against ▁the ▁d aring ▁of ▁three ▁African ▁American ▁women ▁who ▁escape ▁from ▁sla very . ▁ ▁The ▁novel ▁was ▁both ▁influ ential ▁and ▁commer cially ▁successful , ▁published ▁as ▁a ▁serial ▁from ▁ 1 8 5 1 ▁to ▁ 1 8 5 2 ▁and ▁as ▁a ▁book ▁from ▁ 1 8 5 2 ▁on ward . ▁An ▁estimated ▁ 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁copies ▁had ▁sold ▁world wide ▁by ▁ 1 8 5 3 , ▁including ▁una ut hor ized ▁repr ints . ▁Senator ▁Charles ▁Sum ner ▁cred ited ▁Uncle ▁Tom ' s ▁Cab in ▁for ▁the ▁election ▁of ▁Abraham ▁Lincoln , ▁an ▁opinion ▁that ▁is ▁later ▁echo ed ▁in ▁the ▁ap oc ry phal ▁story ▁of ▁Lincoln ▁gre eting ▁St owe ▁with ▁the ▁qu ip ▁" So ▁you ' re ▁the ▁little ▁woman ▁who ▁wrote ▁the ▁book ▁that ▁made ▁this ▁great ▁war !" ▁( see ▁American ▁Civil ▁War ). ▁Frederick ▁Doug lass ▁pra ised ▁the ▁novel ▁as ▁" a ▁flash ▁to ▁light ▁a ▁million ▁camp ▁fires ▁in ▁front ▁of ▁the ▁emb att led ▁hosts ▁of ▁sla very ". ▁Despite ▁Doug lass ' s ▁enthus ias m , ▁an ▁anonymous ▁ 1 8 5 2 ▁rev iewer ▁for ▁William ▁Lloyd ▁G arrison ' s ▁publication ▁The ▁Liber ator ▁sus pected ▁a