▁passage ▁of ▁the ▁F ug itive ▁S lave ▁Act ▁two ▁years ▁before , ▁which ▁pun ished ▁those ▁who ▁a ided ▁run away ▁slaves . ▁The ▁book ▁was ▁highly ▁controvers ial ▁and ▁f anned ▁the ▁debate ▁over ▁sla very ▁in ▁the ▁country . ▁ ▁The ▁Southern ▁literary ▁response ▁▁ ▁The ▁response ▁to ▁St owe ' s ▁novel ▁in ▁the ▁American ▁South ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁out rage . ▁To ▁counter ▁St owe ' s ▁novel , ▁Southern ▁writers ▁produced ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁pro - s la very ▁books , ▁the ▁vast ▁majority ▁of ▁them ▁nov els . ▁In ▁ 1 8 5 2 ▁alone , ▁eight ▁anti - Tom ▁nov els ▁were ▁published . ▁ ▁These ▁anti - Tom ▁nov els ▁t ended ▁to ▁feature ▁a ▁ben ign ▁white ▁patri arch al ▁master ▁and ▁a ▁pure ▁wife , ▁both ▁of ▁whom ▁pres ided ▁over ▁child like ▁slaves ▁in ▁a ▁bene vol ent ▁extended - family - style ▁plant ation . ▁The ▁nov els ▁either ▁imp lied , ▁or ▁directly ▁stated , ▁the ▁view ▁that ▁African ▁Americans ▁were ▁unable ▁to ▁live ▁their ▁lives ▁without ▁being ▁directly ▁over seen ▁by ▁white ▁people . ▁ ▁Today ▁these ▁nov els ▁and ▁books ▁are ▁generally ▁seen ▁as ▁pro - s la very ▁propag anda . ▁The ▁anti - Tom ▁genre ▁died ▁off ▁with ▁the ▁start ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁Civil ▁War . ▁ ▁Sim ms , ▁H ent z , ▁and ▁other ▁pro - s la very ▁authors ▁▁ ▁The ▁two ▁most ▁famous ▁anti - Tom ▁books ▁are ▁The ▁S word