A Review of Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, An Essay on Slavery

The author delivers a critical review of a widely circulated abolitionist novel and of Northern anti-slavery journalism, contending that many accounts of Southern cruelty are exaggerated or manufactured to inflame public sentiment. He alleges that editors commission sensational letters, faults ultra-abolitionists for misrepresentation, and seeks to supply an antidote to what he views as poisoned Northern opinion. Composed while the writer was ill and acknowledging literary defects, the essay combines a defense of Southern people with appeals for national unity and warnings that partisan misrepresentation threatens the country’s stability.