Two South Carolina senators are proposing adding a new monument on the Statehouse grounds. Of whom? Robert Smalls: A former slave who, during + after the Civil War, gained freedom to became a ship’s pilot, and later, an early congressman.
The two currently have no interest in removing statues of Confederate soldiers, but they have expressed support to add context to existing plaques. The idea is to work towards showing respect to both sides of the Civil War debate.
South Carolina would be setting an example for other states by adding the first statue of a Reconstruction-era African-American champion rather than removing Confederate monuments (which has happened in 12 states).
The statue of Robert Smalls would be funded by private donors, the senators said.
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