Today In Black History
Robert Smalls: from slavery to the U.S. Congress
Issue #443 Black History Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Welcome to this Today in Black History post. Black History IS American History, no matter how hard some people try to erase our history and contributions.
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Today’s Black WOW!
Robert Smalls was born into slavery on April 5, 1839, in Beaufort, South Carolina.
At the age of 12, Smalls was sent to work in Charleston as a laborer and eventually found himself working on steamships.
On May 13, 1862, during the height of the Civil War, Smalls was serving as a deckhand on the Confederate transport ship CSS Planter, which was being used to transport supplies for the Confederate army. Smalls decided to seize the opportunity to escape slavery and help the Union cause. Knowing the ship's layout and the secret codes used by the Confederates, Smalls and a small group of fellow enslaved crew members took control of the CSS Planter. Under Smalls' command, they sailed past Confederate checkpoints, presenting themselves as the normal crew until they were out of harm's way.
As they made their way to the Union blockade, Smalls raised a white flag and surrendered the Planter to the Union Navy. Smalls' bravery and quick thinking led to a significant victory for the Union. He met with President Abraham Lincoln, and his story was widely covered in newspapers across the country.
Smalls later served in the South Carolina State Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.
After the war, Smalls returned to Beaufort, South Carolina, where he purchased his former owner's house and the property surrounding it. He turned the house into a school for African-American children, recognizing that education was the key to breaking the chains of oppression and achieving true equality.
In addition to his educational initiatives, Smalls also played a crucial role in the fight for voting rights for African Americans. He worked tirelessly to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their race, had the right to vote. Smalls understood that without political power, African Americans would continue to be marginalized and their voices silenced.
Today In Black History
- In 1828, Vice President (future president) John. C. Calhoun defended the rights of states to nullify federal laws, especially those having to do with slavery and the rights of indigenous peoples.
- In 1884, Italy recognized King Leopold II’s Congo Free State.
- In 1891, Rev. Charles Randolph Uncles, SSJ, of Baltimore, Maryland, became the first Black Catholic priest ordained in the United States.
- In 1910, Baltimore became the first US city to pass an ordinance requiring white and Black residential areas.
- In 2022, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutee formally apologized for the slave trade on behalf of the Dutch state.
- Let’s discuss these facts in our community on Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.