Research Catalog

Details

Description

1. xxvi, 253 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

1. "On May 13, 1862, the enslaved African American Robert Smalls (1839-1915) commandeered a Confederate warship, the Planter, from Charleston harbor and piloted the vessel to cheering seamen of the Union blockade. This storied act of courage secured Smalls's place in the annals of Civil War heroics, but it was only the first of many acts in the cause of liberty. Slave, pilot, businessman, statesman, U.S. congressman - Smalls played many roles en route to becoming an American icon, but none of his accomplishments was a solo effort. In Yearning to Breathe Free, sociologist Andrew Billingsley offers the first biography of Smalls to assess the influence of his families - black and white, past and present - on his life and enduring legend. In so doing, Billingsley creates a compelling mosaic of evolving black-white social relations in the South as exemplified by this famous figure and his descendants." "Born a slave in Beaufort, South Carolina, Smalls was raised with his master's family amid an odd balance of privilege and bondage. His distinctive situation instilled in him both an understanding of and desire for freedom. Billingsley underscores the influence of the slaveholders' household as well as Smalls's biological family on the development of the passions and abilities that led Smalls to his famed bid for freedom. Likewise Billingsley charts the critical involvement of Smalls's wife, Hannah, and his extended family of black crewmates in the success of that plan." "Smalls served with distinction in the Union forces at the helm of the Planter. After the war he returned to Beaufort and bought the home of his former masters. He ensured family members' children were educated, opened businesses and a school, and - in a move that shocked some and endeared him to others - provided for his former owners, who had fallen on hard times." "A founder of the South Carolina Republican Party, Smalls was elected as a delegate to the black majority 1868 Constitutional Convention, which confirmed the right of black men to vote, as well as to the overwhelmingly white Constitutional Convention of 1895, which took away that right. Between those two events, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, to the state senate, and five times to the U.S. Congress. Throughout his public service, Smalls was surrounded by an ever-growing family of supporters. Billingsley illustrates how this, coupled with Smalls's dogged resilience, empowered him for political success."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject

1. Legislators > United States > Biography
2. African Americans > South Carolina > Biography
3. Smalls, Robert, 1839-1915 > Family
4. United States > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Biography
5. Small family

Bibliography (note)

1. Includes bibliographical references (p. [237]-242) and index.