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A Visit to the Real 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'

Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was inspired by the memoir of a real person: Josiah Henson.

Henson was born into slavery in Maryland in 1787. He eventually escaped to Ontario, where he established a school for former slaves and served as pastor of a church. He returned to the United States many times to guide other slaves to freedom. In 1849 he published his autobiography, one of the first slave narratives.

The cabin where Henson lived in what is now Bethesda, Md., was recently sold to the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission. It will become an intepretative park.

Debbie Elliott paid a visit to the "real" Uncle Tom's Cabin with Henson's descendant, Maryland attorney Jim Henson.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott can be heard telling stories from her native South. She covers the latest news and politics, and is attuned to the region's rich culture and history.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.