12 Years a Slave is dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of
Uncle Tom's Cabin. The dedication reads, “To Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose name, throughout the world, is identified with the great reform: this narrative, affording another
Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is respectfully dedicated.” Stowe’s
A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in 1853 and outlined the accuracy of the depiction of slavery in her novel,
Uncle Tom's Cabin, published the year prior. Published in 1852, just one year before
12 Years a Slave,
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a sentimental novel that highlights the terrible realities of slavery as well as the healing power of Christian love.
Uncle Tom's Cabin was widely read, and was the second bestselling book of the nineteenth century—the first being the Bible. Although
Uncle Tom's Cabin is not a slave narrative, it shares many thematic similarities with
12 Years a Slave, including racism, Christianity, and empathy.
12 Years a Slave is also similar in content to
The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, published in 1845. In the narrative, slave-turned-Abolitionist Frederick Douglass recounts his difficult path from slavery to freedom. Douglass’ narrative includes a similar strain of religious critique (directed at those who claim to be Christians while also being slave owners) to Northup’s narrative. In addition, Douglass’ book and Northup’s book both center on the concept of truth, emphasizing that their stories and experiences are true for the sake of showing the readership the brutal reality of slavery. Harriet Jacobs’
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, published in 1861, also contains accounts of brutality, especially the sexual abuse of female slaves by their masters, similar to those Northup gives in his narrative, chronicling the experiences of his fellow slave, Patsey. Like
12 Years a Slave, Jacobs’ slave narrative is meant to show white Northerners the heart-wrenching reality of slavery and does so by appealing to the reader’s sense of empathy.