Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 1852. The Dutch translation was initially titled "De N*gr*hut of Uncle Tom." It was the first portrayal of Black people for many white people in the metropole. Beecher Stowe, a white abolitionist, wrote the book as an argument against slavery.

The book tells the story of enslaved individuals on a plantation in Kentucky, United States. The character of Uncle Tom is based on the real-life Black preacher Josiah Henson. He was an abolitionist who fled from the United States to Canada, where he established a settlement for freed slaves.

The Dutch translation became very popular in 1853 and sparked discussions about slavery in society and politics.