Robert Smalls (1839 - 1915)
Though he appeared to be a free man, Smalls was enslaved and was often robbed by it. Smalls was sent to work for C.J. Reyla, Captain of the CSS Planter, after a history of being outspoken against slavery. Reyla's crew was made up of enslaved people who unofficially ran the ship. One day, he, his wife and kids, and 20 other enlaved peoples snuck on board and sailed past Confederte checkpoints. Though fully ready to die in their pursuit, they all lived. When he and his family made it to freedom, Smalls stayed active. He aided in gathering a 5,000-men African American army under Lincoln's requests. After the war, he bought his former owner's house in South Carolina (after he had died) and opened up the first school for black children in the region. Then he ran for and won 80% of the vote for the South Carolina seat in the House of Representatives. Today, the Robert Smalls House is a National Landmark.
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