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Robert
Smalls, c. 1870
(Library of Congress)
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image to enlarge.
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Image 32 of 40

Elected to
the South Carolina legislature in 1868 to 1874, Smalls was voted into
Congress in 1875, where he served until 1886, longer than any other African
American during Reconstruction.
He died in
1915 at the age of 76.
An inscription
on his grave in Beaufort reads:
My
people need no special defense,
for the past history of them in this country
proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere.
All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.
November
1, 1895
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