5. Robert Smalls, Civil War Hero and Legislator
Robert Smalls was indeed an action hero. Born into slavery, he became a ship’s pilot on a Confederate army ship during the Civil War. After freeing himself and his crew members’ family from slavery, the crew held an uprising and took control of the boat. Using disguises and the military pass codebook, Smalls successfully navigated the ship into Union-controlled waters and handed it over to Union military command. His fantastic feat led Lincoln to allow black service members in the Union army. He later became a legislator and wrote legislation creating the first free public school system in the country in South Carolina.
