Charleston Harbour, South Carolina, 1862. A man named Robert Smalls is staging a daring escape from slavery. Smalls had been forced to work as pilot on a prized confederate navy ship called the CSS Plater. That night, all of the white officers on the ship had decided to spend the night on shore with their families. This created an enticing and dangerous opportunity for escape.

This daring plan not only turned Robert Smalls into a Civil War hero, but also set him on a path to becoming one of America's first African American politicians, whose influence can still be felt today.

Video by Dominika Ożyńska & Adrian Hartrick

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