THIS MAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PARRIS ISLAND BEING A MARINE DEPOT. He fought for its existence there. ON THIS DAY, 1915 –Parris Island is officially designated a United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 –February 23, 1915) was an enslaved African American who, during and after the American Civil War,became a ships pilot, sea captain, and politician. He freed himself, his crew and their families from slavery on May 13, 1862, by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter,in Charleston harbor, and sailing it to freedom beyond the Federal blockade. His example and persuasion helped convince President Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army. Smalls was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. After the American Civil War, he became a politician, elected to the South Carolina State legislature and the United States House of Representatives. As a politician, Smalls authored state legislation providing for South Carolina to have the first free and compulsory public school system in the United States, and founded the Republican Party of South Carolina. He is notable as the last Republican to represent South Carolinas 5th congressional district until 2010.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 11:26:13 +0000
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