Sick from Freedom

In Sick from Freedom, Jim Downs uncovers the overlooked health crisis that followed the emancipation of enslaved people, revealing how the pursuit of freedom led to widespread disease, suffering, and death. Using new research into the records of the Freedmen's Bureau, he details how the collapse of the plantation economy and migration efforts exposed freed African Americans to deadly illnesses, while the inadequate medical response often failed to address their needs. The book highlights the tragic consequences of a pivotal yet misunderstood chapter in American history, from the South to the West.