Discussion Questions: Robert Smalls: From Slavery to Politics

Robert Smalls was among the new class of African American politicians that emerged after the Civil War. What do you think motivated Smalls to enter politics?
Why would South Carolina “become a major proving ground for Reconstruction?”
What political offices did Smalls hold? How was Smalls removed from office as a part of wide-ranging white efforts to reduce African American political power?
Robert Smalls remained in office longer than most of his contemporaries after the Compromise of 1877. What do you think the narrator means when he says “His leadership would give hope to his people in the years of uncertainty to come?”