The Leopard's Spots

Thomas Dixon, Jr. (1864 - 1946)

The first in a trilogy of the Reconstruction era - The Leopard's Spots (1902), The Clansman (1905), and The Traitor (1907), parts of this novel were incorporated in the 1915 silent movie classic, "The Birth Of A Nation". Set in North Carolina, the book explores the extreme social and racial tensions of the period as Confederates attempt to fight off "reconstructionist" policy, rebuild the war-torn South's economy, and grapple with the rampant "race question" of the day, whether the black and white races can ever live side by side as equals, i.e., whether a leopard can change its spots? Characters include the villainous Reconstruction leader, Simon Legree (the same vile slave holder from Harriett Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, only many years later); Charles Gaston, a young southern gentleman who dreams of true love and the governor's mansion; Sallie Worth, sweet obedient daughter of southern aristocracy. A colorful assortment of preachers, carpetbaggers, scallywags, farmers, Ku Klux Klan members, and newly emancipated negroes help round out the cast. (Summary by Michele T. Fry)

Genre(s): Historical Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Historical Note Michele Fry
00:01:39
Play 01 1.1 - A Hero Returns Michele Fry
00:30:18
Play 02 1.2 - A Light Shining In Darkness Michele Fry
00:19:46
Play 03 1.3 - Deepening Shadows Michele Fry
00:06:54
Play 04 1.4 - Mr. Lincoln's Dream Michele Fry
00:06:01
Play 05 1.5 - The Old and the New Church Michele Fry
00:10:02
Play 06 1.6 - The Preacher and the Woman of Boston Michele Fry
00:14:21
Play 07 1.7 - The Heart of a Child Michele Fry
00:09:12
Play 08 1.8 - An Experiment in Matrimony Michele Fry
00:08:11
Play 09 1.9 - A Master of Men Michele Fry
00:15:21
Play 10 1.10 - The Man or Brute in Embryo Michele Fry
00:18:48
Play 11 1.11 - Simon Legree Michele Fry
00:17:55
Play 12 1.12 - Red Snow Drops Michele Fry
00:09:22
Play 13 1.13 - Dick Michele Fry
00:03:07
Play 14 1.14 - The Negro Uprising Michele Fry
00:07:08
Play 15 1.15 - The New Citizen King Michele Fry
00:08:18
Play 16 1.16 - Legree Speaker of the House Michele Fry
00:15:38
Play 17 1.17 - The Second Reign of Terror Michele Fry
00:20:36
Play 18 1.18 - The Red Flag of the Auctioneer Michele Fry
00:23:01
Play 19 1.19 - The Rally of the Clansmen Michele Fry
00:18:22
Play 20 1.20 - How Civilization Was Saved Michele Fry
00:15:43
Play 21 1.21 - The Old and the New Negro Michele Fry
00:02:25
Play 22 1.22 - The Danger of Playing with Fire Michele Fry
00:10:25
Play 23 1.23 - The Birth of a Scalawag Michele Fry
00:07:47
Play 24 1.24 - A Modern Miracle Michele Fry
00:14:50
Play 25 2.1 - Blue Eyes and Black Hair Michele Fry
00:10:11
Play 26 2.2 - The Voice of the Tempter Michele Fry
00:12:21
Play 27 2.3 - Flora Michele Fry
00:09:24
Play 28 2.4 - The One Woman Michele Fry
00:12:29
Play 29 2.5 - The Morning of Love Michele Fry
00:13:53
Play 30 2.6 - Beside Beautiful Waters Michele Fry
00:20:23
Play 31 2.7 - Dreams and Fears Michele Fry
00:09:53
Play 32 2.8 - The Unsolved Riddle Michele Fry
00:07:02
Play 33 2.9 - The Rhythm of the Dance Michele Fry
00:20:02
Play 34 2.10 - The Heart of a Villain Michele Fry
00:16:05
Play 35 2.11 - The Old, Old Story Michele Fry
00:20:48
Play 36 2.12 - The Music of the Mills Michele Fry
00:08:30
Play 37 2.13 - The First Kiss Michele Fry
00:05:54
Play 38 2.14 - A Mysterious Letter Michele Fry
00:06:23
Play 39 2.15 - A Blow in the Dark Michele Fry
00:17:44
Play 40 2.16 - The Mystery of Pain Michele Fry
00:08:43
Play 41 2.17 - Is God Omnipotent? Michele Fry
00:06:46
Play 42 2.18 - The Ways of Boston Michele Fry
00:11:12
Play 43 2.19 - The Shadow of a Doubt Michele Fry
00:05:32
Play 44 2.20 - A New Lesson in Love Michele Fry
00:13:54
Play 45 2.21 - Why the Preacher Threw His Life Away Michele Fry
00:16:01
Play 46 2.22 - The Flesh and the Spirit Michele Fry
00:17:24
Play 47 3.1 - A Growl Beneath the Earth Michele Fry
00:03:22
Play 48 3.2 - Face to Face with Fate Michele Fry
00:17:11
Play 49 3.3 - A White Lie Michele Fry
00:04:49
Play 50 3.4 - The Unspoken Terror Michele Fry
00:13:06
Play 51 3.5 - A Thousand-Legged Beast Michele Fry
00:16:34
Play 52 3.6 - The Black Peril Michele Fry
00:05:54
Play 53 3.7 - Equality With a Reservation Michele Fry
00:18:15
Play 54 3.8 - The New Simon Legree Michele Fry
00:16:55
Play 55 3.9 - The New America Michele Fry
00:07:51
Play 56 3.10 - Another Declaration of Independence Michele Fry
00:13:15
Play 57 3.11 - The Heart of a Woman Michele Fry
00:10:28
Play 58 3.12 - The Splendour of Shameless Love Michele Fry
00:14:10
Play 59 3.13 - A Speech That Made History Michele Fry
00:26:58
Play 60 3.14 - The Red Shirts Michele Fry
00:03:21
Play 61 3.15 - The Higher Law Michele Fry
00:15:26
Play 62 3.16 - The End of a Modern Villain Michele Fry
00:02:21
Play 63 3.17 - Wedding Bells in the Governor's Mansion Michele Fry
00:14:53