The War Before the
War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America’s Soul from the Revolution to
the Civil War
By Andrew Delbanco
Publication Date – November 6, 2018
🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
During a time when the strife between the abolitionists in
the North and the slaveholders in the South, the Fugitive Slave Act was meant
to appease the latter to the moral outrage of the former. As slaves escaped to the North, it became
Federal Law that they must be apprehended and returned to the South. This book posits that this began the march
that ended in the Civil War. To my mind,
this extremely well-written and researched book does an excellent job in
showing just how hard and long the politicians fought to keep the Union
together despite the horrors of slave life and how even just a tiny twist of
fate along the way would have had huge repercussions for slavery. This is not always an easy book to read, as harrowing
descriptions of violence against slaves and failed escape along with quotations
filled with racism, hate and unwavering support for slavery (even from those
that in retrospect are viewed in a sympathetic light) are difficult. This is an important read, though, as we
currently deal with deep political division along with speech filled with
racism and hate. It is important to
remember where the precedent begins and the many steps and missteps our country
has taken to lead us to the where we are now.
I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for
an honest review.
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