South Carolina to Build its First Monument to an African American

South Carolina has announced plans to erect a statue of Robert Smalls, a man who escaped enslavement to become a Civil War hero, and later, a politician.

The monument, which will be located on South Carolina State House grounds, will be the first in the state’s history to honor an individual African American citizen.

Smalls, was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1839, and married an enslaved woman. During the Civil War he was part of an enslaved crew on a Confederate transport ship.

While docked one evening in 1862, after white crew members went ashore, Smalls convinced other enslaved crew members to commandeer the ship and pick up their waiting family members. Smalls then disguised himself as a Confederate captain and navigated the ship through several Confederate check points, successfully sailing to freedom by way of a Union naval blockade.

At 23 years old, Smalls’ brave actions that night helped 16 enslaved people become free. Smalls entered politics and was a five-term U.S. Congressman representing South Carolina. He was also a founder of the early South Carolina Republican Party. During his time as a lawmaker, Smalls advocated for the rights of African Americans and fought for equity.

Following a legislation passed earlier this year, a special committee must identify space for the monument, choose a design, and allocate funding by January of next year.