Robert Smalls escaped slavery in 1862 along with his family by sailing a Confederate ship out of Charleston while disguised as the captain, right under the noses of the Confederates. Afterward, he would pilot the same ship for the Union. But that wasn't all. He founded a school and a newspaper and served in the South Carolina state assembly and senate and in the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite persistent racism and threats against his life, he lived a long life of public service.