The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America's Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War

“Excellent . . . stunning.” -Ta-Nehisi Coates

The devastating story of how fugitive slaves drove the nation to Civil War

A New York Times Notable Book Selection * Winner of the Mark Lynton History Prize* Winner of the*Anisfield-Wolf Book Award * A New York Times Critics' Best Book*

For decades after its founding, America was really two nations-one slave, one free. There were many reasons why this composite nation ultimately broke apart, but the fact that enslaved black people repeatedly risked...