▁sla very . ▁The ▁new ▁law ▁also ▁stri pped ▁African ▁Americans ▁of ▁the ▁right ▁to ▁request ▁a ▁j ury ▁trial ▁or ▁to ▁test ify ▁on ▁their ▁own ▁beh alf , ▁even ▁if ▁they ▁were ▁leg ally ▁free , ▁whenever ▁a ▁single ▁claim ant ▁presented ▁an ▁aff id av it ▁of ▁ownership . ▁The ▁same ▁law ▁author ized ▁a ▁$ 1 0 0 0 ▁fine ▁and ▁six ▁months ▁imprison ment ▁for ▁anyone ▁who ▁know ingly ▁har bor ed ▁or ▁assist ed ▁a ▁fug itive ▁slave . ▁These ▁terms ▁inf uri ated ▁St owe , ▁so ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁written , ▁read , ▁and ▁deb ated ▁as ▁a ▁political ▁abol ition ist ▁tract . ▁ ▁St owe ▁drew ▁insp iration ▁for ▁the ▁Uncle ▁Tom ▁character ▁from ▁several ▁sources . ▁The ▁best - known ▁of ▁these ▁was ▁Jos iah ▁H enson , ▁an ▁ex - s lave ▁whose ▁aut obi ography , ▁The ▁Life ▁of ▁Jos iah ▁H enson , ▁Form er ly ▁a ▁S lave , ▁Now ▁an ▁In hab it ant ▁of ▁Canada , ▁as ▁N arr ated ▁by ▁Him self , ▁was ▁originally ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 9 ▁and ▁later ▁repub lished ▁in ▁two ▁extens ively ▁re vised ▁ed itions ▁after ▁the ▁publication ▁of ▁Uncle ▁Tom ' s ▁Cab in . ▁H enson ▁was ▁ens la ved ▁at ▁birth ▁in ▁ 1 7 8 9 . ▁He ▁became ▁a ▁Christian ▁at ▁age ▁eigh teen ▁and ▁began ▁pre aching . ▁H enson ▁attempted ▁to ▁purchase ▁his ▁freedom ▁for ▁$ 4 5 0