To Set the Captives Free

Reverend Jermain Wesley Loguen was one of the most fervent and dedicated abolitionists of his day. An ex-slave, he brazenly printed in Syracuse newspapers his address and invitations to other runaways seeking freedom. He became infamous for his leadership in the "Jerry rescue"- one of the very few successful fugitive slave rescues in the country. During his lifetime he was hailed as the "Underground Railroad King" and worked closely with Frederick Douglass, Henry Highland Garnet, Gerrit Smith, Samuel May, and other leading figures in the abolitionist movement. He was ordained in the AME Zion Church and utilized his many church connections to help fugitives and assist the self -emancipated in finding jobs and making the transition to freedom. In 2011 Reverend Jermain Loguen was one of the early inductees into the National Abolition Hall of Fame. This book is the story of this unsung hero, revealing his passionate lifelong stance for freedom, human rights and equality, his dagger-sharp oratory as preacher and writer, and his internal turmoils as someone who, in his own words, would have preferred to have been "a still quiet man, but oppression has made me mad."