March 21, 2012

REP. RITTER JOINS 24-HOUR READING OF STOWE’S UNCLE TOM’S CABIN

State Representative Matthew Ritter helped kick off a 24-hour reading that began Tuesday morning of the 19th century literary classic Uncle Tom’s Cabin sponsored by the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford.

First published in March 1852, Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin painted a human picture of slavery in the United States, stirring international support for abolition before the Civil War. According to legend, Abraham Lincoln greeted the author in 1862 by saying "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

“The Stowe Center is one of Hartford’s true cultural gems and to this day Uncle Tom’s Cabin remains an international symbol of social justice,” Ritter said. “In many ways, the message of Uncle Tom’s Cabin still rings true today and I am proud to be part of this wonderful event.”

Ritter read aloud for 10 minutes from chapter 4 beginning just before 11:00 a.m. during the first hour of the 24-hour marathon reading. “There was something about his whole air, self-respecting and dignified, yet united with a confiding and humble simplicity” was one of the lines he orated.

In addition to 140 readers, programming at the Stowe Center included a screening of the 1903 silent film adaptation of Uncle Tom's Cabin and a discussion of the book led by Uncle Tom's Cabin scholar Adena.

Ritter represents the 1st Assembly District which includes parts of Hartford and Bloomfield. He serves on the Legislature’s Banks, Planning & Development, and Executive & Legislative Nominations committees.