Harriet Beecher Stowe's second antislavery novel was written
partly in response to the criticisms of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
(1852) by both white Southerners and black abolitionists. In
"Dred" (1856), Stowe attempts to explore the issue of slavery
from an African American perspective. Through the compelling
stories of Nina Gordon, the mistress of a slave plantation, and
Dred, a black revolutionary, Stowe brings to life conflicting
beliefs about race, the institution of slavery, and the
possibilities of violent resistance. Probing the political and
spiritual goals that fuel Dred's rebellion, Stowe creates a
figure far different from the acquiescent Christian martyr Uncle
Tom. In his introduction to the novel, Robert S. Levine outlines
the contemporary antislavery debates in which Stowe had become
deeply involved before and during her writing of "Dred." In
addition to its significance in literary history, the novel
remains relevant, Levine argues, to present discussions of
cross-racial perspectives.