even though there were such criticisms, the novel was still very popular. stowe's son says that when abraham lincoln met her in 1862 lincoln said, "so this is the little lady who started this great war." historians are not sure if lincoln really said this or not. in a letter that stowe wrote to her husband a few hours after meeting with lincoln, she does not say anything about this sentence. after this, many writers have said that this novel helped make the north angry at slavery and at the fugitive slave law. it greatly helped the abolitionist movement. union general and politician james baird weaver said that the book made him help in the abolitionist movement.