The bill would put in motion a public and private move to erect a monument to Smalls on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia. A resolution has been passed by the full Senate and has been received warmly throughout the legislature, thanks in great part to the unanimous support by the Beaufort County Legislative Delegation.
Smalls was born in 1839 in a slave cabin to a 49-year-old house servant in Beaufort. He was fathered by an unknown white man. He rose from slavery to become one of the most prominent men in the history of this county and state, regardless of their color. He is more than deserving of a monument on the Statehouse grounds.
Smalls is sometimes called the most significant black participant in the Civil War. As a 23-year-old pilot, Smalls commandeered a Confederate ship while the white crew was ashore. He guided the Planter, loaded with ammunition, from a Charleston dock, past Fort Sumter, tooting the right signals to all Confederates before surrendering to a Union blockading ship that almost fired on the Planter.
Smalls would go on to become the first black captain of a U.S. vessel, a major general in the S.C. Militia, a state legislator, a five-term U.S. Congressman and U.S. Collector of Customs in his hometown. He would use a Congressional monetary award for his bravery to buy the home where he and his mother had worked as slaves.
It is fitting that state Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island, and state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, have worked together in the current legislative session to honor a man who once held their seats, back when Beaufort and Jasper counties were combined.
Smalls pushed for the state government to provide services to the people. He advocated free public schools open to all children, and it is appropriate that a middle school in the Beaufort area bears his name.
In Congress, he was ahead of his time in pushing for a fully integrated military service. He introduced petitions in favor of women's suffrage. He was instrumental in the eventual establishment of Parris Island as a Marine base in Beaufort County.
If the House passes the legislation and Gov. Mark Sanford signs it, a commission would be established to make specific plans and raise the money for the monument. Beaufort County has a number of likely candidates for that commission who would bring a great depth of knowledge and appreciation for the achievements of Smalls.
It is significant for South Carolina that, so far, legislation to honor Smalls has been so well received. The sledding was a lot rougher for the African-American History Monument dedicated on the Statehouse grounds in 2001. But the result is a monument that is both moving and educational. Our Statehouse is the only one in America to have such a monument.
Smalls died in 1915 and is buried at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort. A quote beneath a bust of Smalls on his grave helps explain the importance statewide recognition could have for future generations of South Carolinians. It says:
"My people need no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life."