Before revision: Overview The term "Uncle Tom" comes from the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, where an enslaved African American , Tom, is beaten to death for refusing to betray the whereabouts of two other enslaved people .
After revision: Overview The term "Uncle Tom" comes from the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, where an African American slave , Tom, is beaten to death for refusing to betray the whereabouts of two other slaves .