Who is Uncle Tom from The Strange Career of Jim Crow and what is their importance?

Originally from Harriett Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, the term came to refer to all blacks, following Reconstruction, who accepted and maintained the subservient, inferior status that existed during slavery. These individuals were seen as kind, gentle, and accepting of their permanent role as second-class citizens, not desiring to upset the status quo and risk the anger of Southern whites.