The Father of Abolitionism: John Rankin (With Caleb Franz)

Portraits of Liberty
E71 -

From his hilltop home in Ripley, Ohio, Rankin established a safe haven for enslaved people crossing the Ohio River.

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Hosts
Paul Meany
Editor for Intellectual History, Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org
Guests
John Rankin

Born in Dandridge, Tennessee, John Rankin was an American Presbyterian minister and abolitionist who moved to Ripley, Ohio in 1822 and became the state’s first and most active “conductor” on the Underground Railroad.

Caleb Franz
Author

Author of The Conductor: The Story of Rev. John Rankin, Abolitionism’s Essential Founding Father. Caleb’s work has been featured in various outlets including RealClear History, the Washington Examiner, the Independent, Religion and Liberty Online, and the Louisville Courier Journal, among others. He currently serves as Program Manager at Young Voices since 2021.

An episode interviewing Caleb Franz covering the life of the abolitionist minister John Rankin. From his hilltop home in Ripley, Ohio, Rankin established a safe haven for enslaved people crossing the Ohio River. Over the course of his life, he became one of the most active conductors on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom. Rankin was a powerful voice for individual liberty. His Letters on American Slavery, published in the 1820s, were among the earliest and most forceful arguments for the immediate abolition of slavery.