Getting to Ripley, Ohio

Getting to Ripley, Ohio. . , John Rankin was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee, and lived in the state through college, his marriage, and his beginning as a minister. He was often opposed by congregations for frequently sharing his anti-slavery beliefs from the pulpit. In 1817, Rankin moved his family to the Carlisle, Kentucky, area where he preached against slavery, ministered to former slaves, and worked with abolitionist organizations. Kentucky's position on slavery and financial concerns caused another move. John, Jean and their four children arrived in Ripley, Ohio, on January 1, 1822, where he served as pastor of the local Presbyterian Church., In the 1820s, Rankin wrote a series of letters, explaining the evils of slavery to his brother Thomas, a merchant in Virginia, who owned slaves. In one letter John wrote, "The right of freedom belongs to the Africans, and therefore it is unjust to hold it from them as it is to hold stolen property from its right owner." Rankin's brother eventually freed his slaves and settled in Ohio. John's letters were published in 1826 as Letters on American Slavery, one of the earliest American anti-slavery books., [Caption:] The book ignited a firestorm of controversy resulting in the suspected arson fire that destroyed the warehouse storing Rankin's books.