Kaltura
Robert Smalls was a former slave and Civil War hero who made a significant impact on American history. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1839, Smalls worked on the docks and was trained as a sailor.
In 1862, he commandeered a Confederate transport ship, the Planter, and sailed it to freedom with his family and other enslaved people on board. He then turned the ship over to the Union navy and became one of the first African American captains in the U.S. Navy.
Smalls later served as a South Carolina state legislator and a U.S. Congressman, fighting for voting rights and education for African Americans. He was a powerful voice for equality and civil rights, and his legacy continues to inspire today.
Standards
- 8.4.CX Evaluate South Carolinians’ struggle to create an understanding of their post-Civil War position within the state, the country, and the world.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the significant causes of World War I and the factors leading to U.S. involvement. This indicator was also developed to promote inquiry into the effects of the war, to include its impact on the homefront, migration patterns, and continued foreign policy debates.
