The Thrilling story of Robert Smalls, stole a Confederate ship and sailed it to Freedom

Noodler on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 – 02:40 am

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There are so many worthy stories to share for Black History Month, but this is truly Amazing!

<< Like so many enslaved people, Smalls was haunted by the idea that his family—his wife, Hannah; their four-year-old daughter, Elizabeth; and their infant son, Robert, Jr.—would be sold. And once separated, family members often never saw each other again.

The only way Smalls could ensure that his family would stay together was to escape slavery. This truth had occupied his mind for years as he searched for a plan with some chance of succeeding. But escape was hard enough for a single man; to flee with a young family in tow was nearly impossible: enslaved families often did not live or work together, and an escape party that included children would slow the journey significantly and make discovery much more likely. Traveling with an infant was especially risky; a baby’s cry could alert the slave patrols. And the punishment if caught was severe; owners could legally have runaways whipped, shackled, or sold.

Now Smalls’ chance at freedom had finally come. With a plan as dangerous as it was brilliant, he quietly alerted the other enslaved crew members on board. It was time to seize the Planter. >>

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thrilling-tale-how-robert-smalls-...

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Strangha

Slickrock on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 – 07:11 am

Thank you for telling us

Thank you for telling us about this, Druba. Never knew of this great story.

Long live the spirit of Robert Smalls!

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Bluelight

Odysseus on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 – 09:28 am

Any books about Smalls out?

Any books about Smalls out? Movie?

Great story. Thanks.

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Thomas O' Bagenhammers

Thom2 on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 – 11:45 am

"Any books about Smalls out?

"Any books about Smalls out? Movie?"

Books.....

"From slavery to public service: Robert Smalls, 1839-1915" by Okon Edet Uya,New York, Oxford University Press, 1971.

"Four took freedom; the lives of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Robert Smalls, and Blanche K. Bruce" by Philip Sterling; Rayford Whittingham Logan; Charles White, Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, 1967.

"The search for Planter : the ship that escaped Charleston and carried Robert Smalls to destiny" by Bruce G Terrell; Gordon P Watts, Jr.; Timothy J Runyan, Silver Spring, Maryland : NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program, 2014

Movies.....

"Robert Smalls" by Mary Long; WNSC-TV (Television station : Rock Hill, S.C.); South Carolina Educational Television Network.

"Congressman Robert Smalls : a patriot's journey from slavery to Capitol Hill" by Adrena Ifill; Sean Patrick Thomas; Andrew Billingsley; Stephen R Wise; Lawrence Sanders Rowland, [Washington, D.C.] : DoubleBack Productions, ©2005

"Robert Smalls : sail away to freedom." by South Carolina Educational Television Network., [Columbia, S.C.] : South Carolina E.T.V., 1988.

"South Carolina Hall of Fame : Robert Smalls, state representative, senator, U.S. congressman" by South Carolina. Educational Television Commission.; South Carolina Hall of Fame, Columbia, South Carolina : South Carolina Educational Television Commission, [2012]

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19.5 Degrees

FaceOnMars on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 – 12:12 pm

Thanks for the post Noodler,

Thanks for the post Noodler, very interesting!

Generally speaking, there doesn't seem to be all that many full length feature movies about slavery as a function of "proportion" compared to other significant eras of U.S. history.

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skyjunk

fabes on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 – 01:49 pm