Robert Smalls

Logline

The 23-year-old enslaved pilot who stole the Planter, freed his family, and became a Congressman.

What the episode covers

• The Planter escape — Charleston Harbor, past five Confederate forts, delivered to the Union blockade.
• The naval career, the return to Beaufort, the purchase of his former master's house.
• The Reconstruction Congressman — five terms, the SC 1868 Constitution, the founder of the Republican Party in the state.

Production notes

Community-attributed traditional music only, no post-1928 material. All primary sources public domain (Library of Congress, National Archives, community archives) or community-controlled oral history. Screenplay filed with U.S. Copyright Office as part of the Gullah Geechee Biz Season 1 deposit.

Attribution

Written & Directed by Darryl Elliott Brown
Produced by Darryl Elliott Brown
A Gullah Geechee Biz Production
© 2026 Darryl Elliott Brown