While Kentuckians Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis and Henry Clay have won lasting fame for their varying political careers, James G. Birney, a native of Danville who transformed from slaveholder to the first anti-slavery Presidential candidate, has been scorned and virtually forgotten. Now, scholars from Duke University Law School say Birney should be recognized for initiating the abolition movement that led to the formation of the Republican Party, the election of Lincoln and the Civil War. Author D. Laurence Rogers will describe Birney’s tortuous path to the frontiers of political thought and the reasons why this native Kentuckian deserves admiration for his courage and foresight.

A native of Chicago, D. Laurence Rogers grew up in Bay City, Michigan. His book, published by Michigan State University Press, is entitled Apostles of Equality: The Birneys, the Republicans and the Civil War.

Reservations are suggested.