Robert Smalls from Slavery to Congress

Mark F. Jenkins

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I'm currently reading Edward A. Miller's book, Gullah Statesman: Robert Smalls from Slavery to Congress, 1839 - 1915 (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1995). It's well-written, and digs deeply into primary sources (carefully annotated), so it's the sort of history book I usually enjoy.

But, apart from the initial chapter (concerning Smalls' celebrated escape with the steamer Planter from Charleston and his subsequent war service with the Union forces), it's pretty doggone depressing. Blow by blow, the reader sees the Reconstruction government of South Carolina come apart. Partly it was pressure by the prewar ruling class; but a large part of the damage was self-inflicted-- the Republican Party had been since its birth at best an unstable coalition, and in the lack of strong national leadership, it fragmented. The vilification of carpetbaggers was clearly justified in enough cases to make the term stick, even though it was clearly unfair in other cases; and the indigenous blacks were in general not educated enough (not through any special fault of their own, of course) to make up the difference in an environment of rampant corruption and profiteering.

I'm doing a lot of wincing as I read. Smalls comes across as a generally good-hearted individual, called upon by his fame to be a leader, but perhaps lacking some of the finer points of leadership qualities. He even used his influence to ease the financial hardships of the family which had owned him prior to the war-- on one occasion taking them in to his house and hosting them, even when they refused to eat at the same table as Smalls! On the other hand, his legislative record was decidedly lackluster, and dominated by what we'd today call 'pork-barrel' politics, although this was hardly unusual for the time (or any time).

Most distressing is the palpable fact that the freedom of the African-Americans in South Carolina is at its pinnacle at the close of the war... and slowly and steadily, they're hemmed in and closed off. Everything from intentionally-confusing voter registration regulations to outright election fraud to violence is employed (on one occasion, Smalls is actually shot at a number of times during a speech, though no rounds hit; and it's not clear if blanks were employed or not), to the point where Governor and then Senator Wade Hampton looks like one of the moderates.

(Sigh.) I'm constantly reminded why I'm not a big fan of reading about Reconstruction. It's really not one of the more uplifting eras of our history.
 
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