Uncle Tom is a fictional character created by Harriet Beecher Stowe in her influential novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin," published in 1852. The character of Uncle Tom, a kind and noble enslaved man, became a symbol of the resilience and humanity of African Americans enduring the brutality of slavery in the United States.

Despite some modern interpretations of Uncle Tom as a submissive or overly deferential figure, Stowe intended him to represent the dignity and moral strength of enslaved individuals. The novel played a significant role in shaping public opinion about slavery and was instrumental in fueling the abolitionist movement in the United States.

Although the term "Uncle Tom" has been used pejoratively to describe Black individuals perceived as subservient or accommodating to white authority, it is essential to recognize the historical context and reclaim the complexities of the character as a symbol of endurance and resistance in the face of oppression.