The Father of Abolitionism: John Rankin (With Caleb Franz)
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
19/6/2025
50:24
How Self-Interest Built Societies: Bernard Mandeville
This episode explores the provocative work of Bernard Mandeville, who argued that everything from commerce to civilization itself emerged not from altruism, but from self-interest, vanity, and competition. In his poetic satire and philosophical essays, Mandeville laid the groundwork for understanding society as an evolving system shaped by passions, not perfection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
13/5/2025
16:26
Shyamji Krishna Varma: A Spencerian Radical
Drawing from Hebert Spencer, Shyamji Krishna Varma, an Indian revolutionary and journalist, challenged British colonial rule. From his rise as a Sanskrit scholar to his establishment of India House and the Indian Sociologist in London, his work laid the foundation for a transnational anti-colonial movement. His life is a testament to how classical liberalism and the fight for self-determination were deeply intertwined in the battle against empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
08/4/2025
27:28
Jeannette Rankin: The Peaceful Outlier
Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, remains one of the most principled pacifists in American political history. She was a vocal opponent of US intervention in European affairs in World War I and was the lone vote against US entry into World War II. Rankin endured harsh criticism for her choice for the rest of her political career. Rankin’s lifelong advocacy for women’s suffrage, social reform, and nonviolence cemented her legacy as a politician guided by conscience rather than political expediency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
04/3/2025
15:59
Olaudah Equiano: The Man Who Transformed the Abolitionist Movement
Born in west Africa and kidnapped into slavery at age eleven, Olaudah Equiano endured the horrors of the Middle Passage before being sold to British and American masters. As an enslaved seaman, he traveled the world, gaining skills and knowledge that would later shape his abolitionist message. After purchasing his freedom, Equiano settled in London, where he became a leading voice against slavery. His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, defied racist assumptions, advocating for economic prosperity through free trade rather than human bondage. By blending personal testimony with political and economic arguments, Equiano helped redefine abolitionist thought, paving the way for the eventual end of the transatlantic slave trade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Portraits of Liberty investigates the lives and philosophies of thinkers throughout history who argued in favor of a freer world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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