John Parker Research Papers

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John Parker: Man of Integrity An African-American abolitionist. An inventor. An industrialist. John P. Parker was a man who was persistent in fighting for his freedom and for the freedom of others. He tried to create a better society for men and women in our nation through his acts in the Underground Railroad Resistance Movement. John P. Parker is a man of great determination in his fight to abolish slavery and to invent a brighter future for the United States.
John P. Parker was born on February 2nd, 1827 to a slave mother and white father. He was born enslaved in Norfolk, Virginia. After he was sold to another family in Richmond, he was purchased once more by a physician and chain-walked to Mobile, Alabama. The physician had two sons who …show more content…

This new work was in Indiana, where he worked for the foundries. As time went on, Parker began work as a “conductor” for the Underground Railroad. Parker once worked with a local black barber, in which they were able to free two girls in Kentucky (“John P. Parker: Inventor”). Parker dedicated his life to ensuring that slavery would be abolished and people would be free. In the year of 1848, Parker moved and decided to open his own small general store in Beachwood Factory, Ohio. Two years later, Parker moved once more to Ripley, Ohio. He moved to Ohio to work independently under John Rankin, who was an abolitionist and operated the Underground Railroad there. Parker actively helped free about 1,000 slaves from slavery (“John P.Parker Abolitionist and Inventor”). Unlike any other abolitionists, Parker avoided being involved with any organized church groups, of which he thought as an “enemy of the people” (John P. Parker: Inventor). Parker’s life started to shift gears and he decided to open his own foundry business in Ripley, Ohio. As his business started to expand, he was granted federal approval to become a recruiter for the 27th Regiment of U.S colored troops. His foundry was growing and he started receiving patents for his castings, slide valve engines, and reapers (“John P.Parker Abolitionist and Inventor”). Parker had helped build a better future for his people through his acts