The State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota in Bradenton, Florida is currently hosting the Robert Smalls Traveling Exhibition. This will be on view until late next month.
Smalls, an African-American born in 1839 who worked as a slave, is famous for freeing himself by commandeering a Confederate supply ship known as CSS Planter. Once free, Smalls convinced Abraham Lincoln to let African-American people fight in the Civil War and piloted another ship for the Union. When the war ended, he enjoyed success as a politician who was elected to the South Carolina House and Senate, and later to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The traveling exhibition will allow visitors to experience Smalls’s life through photographs, personal letters, small replicas of important objects in his life, real personal objects, and Copies of legislation that he passed during his time as a politician. Along with these objects, the exhibition owners have also stated that ‘The Planter’ by renowned artist James Denmark will be the signature image for the exhibition, and will be used for poster printing and other objects that will be sold in the venue shops. There will also be a speakers’ bureau to answer any questions about the history in the exhibition.
This exhibition will be open until March 31. To learn more about the exhibition and the inspiration behind it, visit the Robert Smalls website.
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