02/09/2016
Happy Black American History Month!!
Each week we will share an American History gem from our neck of the Beaufort County, SC.
This week's little known historical tidbit from the annals of American History centers around South Carolina Congressman and civil war hero Robert Smalls.
Beaufort, SC born Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an enslaved African American who, became a ship's pilot, sea captain, and politician. He freed himself, his crew and their families from slavery on May 13, 1862, by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, and sailing it to freedom beyond the Federal blockade.
His example and persuasion helped convince President Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army.
As a politician, Smalls authored state legislation providing for South Carolina to have the first free and compulsory public school system in the United States, and founded the Republican Party of South Carolina. He was the last Republican to represent South Carolina's 5th congressional district until 2010.
