South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War

FEATURING ALICE L. BAUMGARTNER – Many of us with even a rudimentary knowledge of Black history have heard of the Underground Railroad, that route along with enslaved people from Southern states made the life-risking and harrowing journey North toward freedom. Less is known about enslaved people seeking freedom in Mexico, a country that had abolished slavery before the U.S. and declared as free people anyone who stepped foot on its soil. Telling that fascinating story in a new history book as well as how it is part of the story of the Civil War is Alice Baumgartner.

Alice L. Baumgartner is assistant professor of history at the University of Southern California. She received an MPhil in history from Oxford, where she was a Rhodes scholar, and a PhD in history from Yale University. Her new book is called South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War.