 Hi, I'm Columbia City Councilwoman Tanika Isaac Devine, and it's my honor to bring you today another book, another story from Together We Can Read. Together We Can Read is a partnership between the City of Columbia, South Carolina, and the students at Richmond School District 1. Every year, we get community volunteers to go into every single third grade class in Richmond School District 1 and share with them a story that has some kind of connection to South Carolina. Now, I have loved every single book that we've had during Together We Can Read, but I have to say that today's book is a particular favorite of mine. Today, I want to share with you the Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls. This is a story about Robert Smalls, a formerly enslaved South Carolinian, and his journey to freedom and what he did after he was free. Not only does this book, which was written by Louise Maryweather, bring you a great extraordinary story of an extraordinary South Carolinian, but it also was illustrated by Jonathan Green, another amazing South Carolinian. While reading this book and listening to the journey and the story of Robert Smalls, you also get to admire the great artwork of renowned international artist Jonathan Green. So it's my honor to share with you the Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls. Robert Smalls sat down on the high seat of a carriage next to a black coachman. He was 12 years old and determined not to cry. He had promised mama. From inside the coach, the slave master, Harry Mackie, gave the signal to start. The carriage rolled forward. Robert was on his way. In it was spring 1851, and Robert was leaving Buford, South Carolina, where he had been born a slave. He was going to work in Charleston to make money for his master. Mama stood in the dirt road waiting goodbye. Be sassy with your work, but not with your tongue, she called out to him. Yes, mama, he replied. Robert knew what mama meant. Be good, work hard, and make a lot of money. So Mr. Mackie would have no reason to sell him. The carriage rattled past Mr. Mackie's cotton fields. Some of the slaves straightened up and waved slowly. Robert waved back, then turned around for one last look at mama. She was a little more than a lonely spat now standing in the middle of the road. Robert closed his eyes. It was not for mama that he was going away to make money. It was for Mr. Mackie. No, he wouldn't not cry. But why? Why had he been born a slave? In Charleston, Mr. Mackie found a job for Robert at $4 a week. Robert cleaned the street corner lamps in the morning and lit them with a long taper at dusk. He lived with other slaves in a shanty behind a big house. Mackie, seeing Robert settled, returned to Buford. Life in Charleston was interesting for Robert. He had never before been in a big city and he liked to mingle with the noisy crowds. But the part he liked best was talking to black men who had been able to buy their freedom. Moses, the carpenter, was not free, but he could read. He thrilled Robert with tales of Nat Turner, Denmark Vessie, and others who had rebelled against slavery. He read to Robert from a newspaper written by Frederick Douglass, a former slave. Frederick Douglass had escaped to the north and was now fighting for freedom of all slaves. Often, Robert sat by the Seamall in Charleston and thought about Frederick Douglass and the other free black men. They could learn to read and write. They could keep the money they earned. They could live wherever they wanted to. No one was their master. One day, Robert promised himself, he too would be free. Three years past, Robert worked on many jobs for Mr. Mackie. He unloaded ships at the dock. He learned to make sails and attach them to the mast. When he was 17, he met a lovely young slave girl, Hannah Jones, in church. Hannah worked as a maid at a hotel. She paid her wages to her master as Robert did. Robert and Hannah soon fell in love and with the permission of their owners, they were married on December 24th, 1856. A year later, their daughter Elizabeth was born. Robert held the baby in his arms, murdering it how tiny and fragile she was. But his wife and child were owned by a white man, Samuel Kingman. He could sell them away from Robert at any time. This thought kept nagging at Robert. It would not let him rest. Finally, he went to Mr. Kingman. So mean my wife and child, he pleaded, let me buy their freedom. Mr. Kingman agreed for a price of $800. $800? Robert was staggered by the amount, but he and Hannah accepted the challenge. They took on even more work. Sometimes they worked so hard that they were too weary to sleep, but they saved penny by penny year after year. Then in 1861, the Civil War began. Robert was secretly on the side of the North because in the North, Black people were free. However, he was made to work for the Confederate Navy as a wheelman on a gunboat called the planter. The captain of the planter and his toenails were white. The rest of the crew were slaves. Now, Robert grew impatient. He and Hannah had saved $700, yet there was no freedom in sight. His family had grown to include son Robert, Jr. whom he would have to buy. The price of freedom had gone up and he had to think of another way. Charleston was too well guarded for him to escape by land, but what if three forks had their guns trained on the harbor? Why could he capture the planter and sail for right past those guns? The Northern fleet was anchored seven miles outside the harbor. Freedom was only seven miles away. Robert discussed his plan with the slave crew of the planter and each man was eager to join him. They decided to take their wives and children with them. If anything went wrong, they would blow up the ship and die rather than be captured. On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls made his move. He sneaked the women and children onto the second ship anchored in the Cooper River. The sea steward, a fellow slave, had agreed to hide them. They would be taken about the planter after Robert took command. That night, Captain Relay and his two mates went ashore and Robert Smalls took over. He he readied the ship for action. Jackson, Austin, and Turno, the fireman, shoveled fuel into the furnaces. John the engineer checked the instruments. Jebel raised the Confederate flag while Alfred cast off the ship's lines. You see the fort? Robert at the wheel wearing a captain's hat steered the planter away from the dock. The desperate trip had begun. We hit near the second ship anchored in the Cooper River. Robert sent a rowboat for the five women and three children. The steward also came aboard, making a total of 16 slaves. Robert headed the ship upstream. He did everything he had seen Captain Relay do. The planter approached Fort Johnson. Robert pulled the cord on the steam whistle and gave the proper salute. The planter often steamed up river before dawn. There was no reason for the sentry on shore to think this town was any different. The sentry yelled, pass the planter! Fort Moultrie came next. Robert gave the whistle salute and again they were passed safely. But the most dangerous part was yet to come. Fort Sopter was the biggest fort. It was almost on and Robert could see the fort's menacing cannons. Would the sentry be able to see that it was not Captain Relay beneath the hat but a slave? Robert leaned on the window sill of the pilot house. He folded his arms across his chest as he had seen the captain do. Jebel pulled the signal cord. Robert waved to the sentry on shore. The sentry did not answer. Robert at the wheel, wearing the captain's hat, steered the planter away from the dock. The desperate trip had begun. Robert prayed silently. Let us sail through safely. Finally he heard the sentry yell, pass the planter! They were not going to be blown out of the water. They were saved. Robert piloted the ship past the fort's huge guns and out into the open sea. By the time the sentry realized something was wrong and fired his guns the planter was out of range. The crew and their families had crowded to the rail. They had gambled with death and won. Robert and Hannah looked at each other and at their children. They were free. No longer would they have to call any man a master. They were free at last. Jebel pulled down the Confederate flag and raised the white flag of troops. When they reached the ships of the northern fleet Robert turned the planter over to the fleet captain. The planter was of great use to the north. Valued at more than $60,000 the ship became part of the Norse Navy and Robert Smalls became her captain. In the war Captain Smalls as he was now called returned to Buford with his family. There he was elected to the United States Congress and served for five terms fighting all ways for equal rights for his people. Captain Robert Smalls remained a hero to the rest for the rest of his life. As a boy he dreamed of freedom and as a man he took it. The end. I hope you guys enjoy the freedom ship of Robert Smalls. There is so much more to Robert Smalls's life. He like I said was an extraordinary man and so if you have some time do some independent research about Robert Smalls, learn about his life in politics and how he gave back to the South Carolina and to the city of Buford. So until next time I'm counsel woman to make Isaac divine and thank you for joining us for Together We Can Read. Hey there Mayor Steve Benjamin here. Thanks for watching this video. Make sure you give it a like right below the video and don't forget to subscribe. Also while you're here be sure to check out one of our other videos or follow on our social media platforms. Thanks again and remember we are Columbia.