Robert Smalls was born enslaved in SC on this day in 1839. During the Civil War, he commandeered a Confederate ship & sailed it to Union waters, thereby freeing himself, his family, & several enslaved crew members & their families. He later served in the SC Legislature & Congress.

Image: LOC.

April 05, 2026 - 23:00 UTC

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The ‘Criminal’ podcast did a fantastic episode on him
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And dominated the South Carolina Republican Party until the 1890s. He was a political force up until the end of his life and threatened to burn down Beaufort if the local white government allowed two black men to be lynched. (The did not allow them to be lynched.) He was 73 years old at the time.
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I just visited his home in Beaufort, SC. His daughter also lived there until 1959. She lived 101 years, and some people in the city still remember talking to her in the '50s.
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Somebody needs to get Ken Burns on the phone.
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@kenlburns.bsky.social
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Badass.
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Why can't we have a movie about him instead of the millionth Batman? 🤨
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How about a great movie about Bass Reeves as well?
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