Ep 445: The Forgotten Abolitionist: Reverend John Rankin’s Hidden Legacy

Doug Stuart interviews Caleb Franz, author of The Conductor: The Story of Reverend John Rankin, Abolitionism’s Essential Founding Father. Franz shares the fascinating story of how he discovered and researched this largely forgotten figure from his hometown of Ironton, Ohio. The conversation explores Rankin’s pivotal role in the abolition movement, particularly in the Ohio River Valley—a region often overlooked in abolitionist history that typically centers on New England.

Franz discusses Rankin’s theological arguments against slavery, his work on the Underground Railroad helping thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom, and his profound influence on key historical figures including Harriet Beecher Stowe (whose “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was inspired by Rankin’s letters) and Ulysses S. Grant (who studied under Rankin before attending West Point). The episode delves into the research process behind writing historical biography, the intersection of faith and liberty in the abolition movement, and how Rankin’s Christian convictions drove his radical opposition to slavery from the 1820s through the Civil War era.