The story of how Black people in a slaveholding society affected federal policy by their movements, by their defiance and by their very existence has been told before. But rarely has this story been told as compassionately, or rendered as beautifully ... Significantly, [the] author take[s] the long tradition of Black resistance as a given; the book [is] not [a] study of racial exceptionalism, but of Black political agency as a persistent current ... masterfully researched, yet [the author's] greatest contribution lies in the radical implications of [her] thesis: that 19th-century American politics were shaped as much by Black resistance to enslavement as by the institution of slavery itself ... Baumgartner’s placement of fugitive slaves at the center of this story is not merely cosmetic. The fact that the commander in Nacogdoches wrestled with whether to grant them freedom, despite the legal precedent for doing so, shows how slavery, emancipation and empire were constantly renegotiated based on enslaved people’s movements across geographical and political boundaries.

Gripping and poignant stories ... There is much to admire in South to Freedom, starting with Ms. Baumgartner’s dogged and extensive binational research ... Ms. Baumgartner is a fluid writer, with a natural gift for structure and pacing as well as the nicely turned phrase ... South to Freedom is at its best when Ms. Baumgartner describes, with skill and great sensitivity, the experiences of those enslaved men and women who, in resisting their oppression, bravely quit the United States altogether. Their stories challenge the glib assumption held by many Americans—those of the 19th century as well as the 21st—who have long taken for granted the idea of Mexican national inferiority. Most of all, their accounts serve as a stark reminder of the severely circumscribed nature of liberty in the antebellum United States and its tragic costs not only for the enslaved but also the republic itself.

Her book shows that 'enslaved people who escaped to Mexico . . .contributed to the outbreak of a major sectional controversy over the future' of slavery in the U.S ... Many individuals on all sides are portrayed here, but the most compelling stories are those of enslaved people who, at considerable risk, escaped for what they hoped would be a better life in Mexico ... Baumgartner’s fast-paced yet detailed exploration is consistently illuminating and offers a new way to understand the past. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a fuller awareness of our history.

... presents little-known, but astounding narratives of Black Americans such as Dupuis who claimed freedom in Mexico in the antebellum period ... Readers will appreciate the descriptive prose of the 12 chapters that analyze the processes that positioned Mexico as a safe haven for Black people. This work traces not only how the country gained 'moral power through the rejection of slavery,' but also the pathways that enslaved men, women, and children used in Mexico to claim freedom and citizenship ... meticulously researched ... Through an impressive utilization of primary sources in English, Spanish, and French from archives located in Mexico, the United States, and Great Britain, South to Freedom makes a significant contribution to borderlands history. But this research could have been elevated had it included more engagement with works written by experts on the histories of Black resistance ... Nonetheless, the author sagaciously revitalizes our understanding of the forces that led to Civil War through a transnational lens anchored at the intersection of Latin American, Mexican, and US scholarship.

Baumgartner brings to life the stories of slaves who escaped to Mexico and how they made it to freedom ... Well-written and well-researched, this work is recommended for those interested in causes of the Civil War, Mexican-American history, and human rights.

A capable study of the escaped slaves who fled from the U.S. to the Republic of Mexico before the Civil War ... A lucid exploration of a little-known aspect of the history of slavery in the U.S.

Baumgartner, a history professor at the University of Southern California, debuts with an eye-opening and immersive account of how Mexico’s antislavery laws helped push America to civil war ... This vivid history of 'slavery’s other border' delivers a valuable new perspective on the Civil War.