The enslaved pilot who sailed a Confederate ship to freedom, then spent his life serving others.
Part 1, The Daring Escape, follows Robert Smalls from his birth into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1839 to Charleston Harbor, where he learned the tides, channels, and signals better than almost anyone. Before dawn on May 13, 1862, with the white officers ashore for the night, he took command of the CSS Planter, picked up his family, and sailed past the harbor forts to the Union fleet, delivering the ship, its cargo, and sixteen people to freedom, along with valuable intelligence about Charleston's defenses.
Part 2, A Life of Service, tells what he did with that freedom: piloting for the Union, becoming captain of the Planter in December 1863 after guiding her through heavy fire, standing up to segregated streetcars in Philadelphia, serving in the South Carolina House and Senate, helping write the state's 1868 Constitution, and serving five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He even bought the Beaufort house where his family had once been enslaved. A U.S. Navy ship, USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), carries his name today.
Each page includes a "Meanwhile in the World" timeline, lessons from his life, and discussion questions. Two full-color printable pages. Print at home or in class as often as you like.
The enslaved pilot who sailed a Confederate ship to freedom, then spent his life serving others.
Part 1, The Daring Escape, follows Robert Smalls from his birth into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1839 to Charleston Harbor, where he learned the tides, channels, and signals better than almost anyone. Before dawn on May 13, 1862, with the white officers ashore for the night, he took command of the CSS Planter, picked up his family, and sailed past the harbor forts to the Union fleet, delivering the ship, its cargo, and sixteen people to freedom, along with valuable intelligence about Charleston's defenses.
Part 2, A Life of Service, tells what he did with that freedom: piloting for the Union, becoming captain of the Planter in December 1863 after guiding her through heavy fire, standing up to segregated streetcars in Philadelphia, serving in the South Carolina House and Senate, helping write the state's 1868 Constitution, and serving five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He even bought the Beaufort house where his family had once been enslaved. A U.S. Navy ship, USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), carries his name today.
Each page includes a "Meanwhile in the World" timeline, lessons from his life, and discussion questions. Two full-color printable pages. Print at home or in class as often as you like.
