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Rampart Institute was founded in 1980 as an incorporated non-profit educational foundation. Based in Santa Ana, California, it received its IRS 501(c) 3 legal status in 1981. ^[1] The institute was organized to “bring public awareness to libertarian/individualist ideals through a unique education program.” (^[2] , and to revive some of the activities of the defunct Colorado Springs-based Rampart College (1963-1975) and Freedom School (1956-1973).

Lawrence Samuels was the driving force behind the establishment of Rampart Institute during the late 1970s. ^[3] Others who envisioned a rebirth of Rampart College were Robert LeFevre, Kenneth Gregg, Jr., and Richard Deyo. This push to create an educational think tank first came to fruition with the publication of two Santa Ana College speeches by Robert LeFevre in 1978 and 1979. The two booklets, Good Government: Hope or Illusion? and Does Government Protection Protect? were co-published by the nascent Rampart Institute and the campus-oriented Society for Libertarian Life. ^{[4] [5]}

The inauguration of Rampart Institute was held on April 19, 1980 with a “Tribute to Robert LeFevre” banquet at a Buena Park, California Hotel at the 1980 Future of Freedom Conference at Cypress College. ^[6] Nine prominent libertarians spoke in testimony to LeFevre and the commencement of Rampart Institute, including Harry Hoiles of the Freedom Newspaper chain; Richard Deyo, businessman John Roscoe; attorney Linda Abrams, businessman Chuck Estes; attorney and one of the founders of the Future of Freedom Conference series, Shawn Steel; businessman Walt Ryan, Caroline Roper-Deyo and Richard Radford, who emceed the event.

One of the stated goals published in their 1980 prospectus was to buy or rent an office building to house their operations and LeFevre’s 7,000 “Freedom Library”, which had been in storage at the Northwood Institute in Dallas, Texas for years. “^[7] Other objectives included a publishing house, speaker’s bureau, research library, the publication of two periodicals, sponsorship of seminars and conferences, creation of a film studio division to produce short and full-length films, and the promotion of Robert LeFevre’s writings, speeches, and autarchist-based philosophy.

After obtaining 501(c) 3 non-profit status, Rampart Institute’s first elected president was libertarian historian who later became an editor of the Atheist United Newsletter, Kenneth Gregg Jr. Its first executive director was writer and founder of Society for Libertarian Life, Lawrence Samuels. Rampart Institute published two journals, the bi-monthly New Rampart and the quarterly Rampart Individualist , edited at various times by Lawrence Samuels and Kenneth Gregg, Jr. ^[8]

Rampart Institute was one of the main co-sponsors of the Future of Freedom Conference series from 1980 to 1985 which were usually held at various colleges in Southern California. The institute sponsored the three Freeland Conferences in 1983, 1984, 1985. Rampart Institute was the main sponsor of the 1981 Keys to Learning Expo. at California State University, Fullerton, CA and the 1982 Keys to Learning Expo at the Rupp Memorial auditorium in Lynwood, CA

Some of the more noteworthy Executive Board members of Rampart Institute included author and objectivist George H. Smith; an owner of the Love Box Company, Robert D. Love; the vice chairman of the Board of Freedom Newspaper, Harry Hoiles; systems analyst Jane Heider; Los Angeles attorney Linda Abrams; writer and publishers Richard Radford; author and founder of Rampart College, Robert LeFevre; businessmen Dennison and Randall Smith; League of Women Non-Voters leader, Caroline Roper-Deyo; bestselling author John Pugsley; and individual feminist Wendy McElroy.

To expedite the institute’s tax emption status, Robert LeFevre resigned his president emeritus position on the board in October of 1981. According to a story in the New Rampart , the IRS “was reluctant to approve a tax exempt status for the Institute as long as LeFevre was in a legal position to profit by being a director of an Institute which might also make use of his books and other writings.” ^[9]

One of the major projects of Rampart Institute undertook was the writing, editing and publishing of LeFevre’s 52-week audio home study-course called “The Fundamentals of Liberty”. It took years for LeFevre to rework the material from his audio tape series and transform it into what is considered his magus opus book. In 1988, the 487-page hardback book was published posthumous, coming out two years after LeFevre’s death in 1986.

After Lawrence Samuels succeeded to the presidency of Rampart Institute in the late 1980s, Rampart Institute sponsored a number of “Freeland Forum ” events in Monterey, California. One was a debate between Prof. David Henderson and Prof. Erika Weis McGrath in May of 1993 at Monterey Peninsula College entitled: “The 1980s: The Best of Times or the Worst of Times?” ^[10] A series of co-sponsored speeches focused on opposing the drug war, with speeches by former San Jose police chief Joseph McNamara, and author of the underground bestseller The Emperor Wears No Clothes, Jack Herer. ^{[11] [12]} Many of these events were co-sponsored with Freedom Watch, Foundation to End Drug Unfairness Policies (FED-UP), and Libertarians for Peace of Monterey County.