(Columbia, SC) — More than 100 years after his death, Robert Smalls—a Civil War hero, advocate for public education, and South Carolina statesman—will be recognized with a statue on the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse. This will mark the first time an individual African American is honored with a statue on the Capitol complex.
The approval of the statue comes nearly a decade after the Confederate battle flag was removed from the Statehouse grounds. Currently, the only representation of African American history on the complex is the African American History Monument, while existing statues primarily honor white men, many with ties to the Civil War or the Jim Crow era.
The effort to memorialize Smalls gained momentum through a bipartisan partnership between State Rep. Brandon Cox of Berkeley County and State Rep. Jermaine Johnson of Richland County. Their collaboration helped secure final approval from a Statehouse committee earlier this year, paving the way for the statue’s creation. Previous attempts to honor Smalls had not succeeded, despite advocacy from his descendants and supporters.
The statue will be created by artist Basil Watson and installed near the main entrance for Capitol visitors. The timeline for its completion will depend on fundraising progress.
Born into slavery in Beaufort in 1839, Smalls became a national figure during the Civil War after he and other enslaved crew members took control of a Confederate ship, the Planter, and delivered it to Union forces. Following the war, Smalls purchased the home where he had been enslaved, participated in drafting South Carolina’s Reconstruction-era constitution in 1868, and served in both the state legislature and U.S. Congress. Throughout his life, he championed civil rights and access to public education.
The decision to place a statue of Smalls on the Capitol grounds is seen by many as a significant step in broadening the historical narrative represented at the Statehouse. It reflects an ongoing effort to recognize the full scope of South Carolina’s history and the individuals who helped shape it.
