Robert Smalls: A Black History

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Robert Smalls was born a slave in South Carolina in 1839. Though he was favored as a small child, his mother made him work in the fields so that he could witness the whippings and mistreatment of slaves.

You may have heard the amazing story of how he and his small crew of escaping slaves commandeered the Confederate ship the Planter, from a harbor in Charleston. 

He steered the boat to Hilton Head, picking up his wife and two children along the way, copying the mannerisms and whistle signals of the ship's captain to escape detection where he turned it over to Union soldiers.

Smalls later served in the Union army and commanded the Planter as its captain. In 1874 he became a congressman, and served as a public servant and businessman until his death in 1915. 

The house he was born into slavery in  was eventually put up for sale due to back taxes and the Smalls purchased it in 1864, defending the contest to his purchase in the Supreme Court, ultimately prevailing in 1875. The house stayed in his family until 1953 and was designated a historic landmark in 1974. 

#BHM

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