His mother, Lydia Polite, was a house worker enslaved by a man named Henry McKee.
It is widely believed that McKee was Robert's father, which afforded him preferential treatment in his early years.
Robert Smalls was born into slavery but would go on to become a hero of the Civil War, a successful entrepreneur, and a U.S. congressman.
His journey is one you have to read to believe.
Who's up for a story?
👇👇👇
His mother, Lydia Polite, was a house worker enslaved by a man named Henry McKee.
It is widely believed that McKee was Robert's father, which afforded him preferential treatment in his early years.
Not wanting her son to be blind to the plight of the other slaves, Lydia Polite requested that he be exposed to this work.
This experience was formative for Robert.
The 12-year-old Robert was hired as a laborer in the city, earning a tiny wage for working various jobs.
But it was in Charleston that Robert would discover his first love: the water.
He quickly displayed an aptitude for the work.
Starting as a stevedore, he soon became a wheelman on a ship, in charge of navigating through Charleston's complex harbor.
As the couple started their life together, Robert attempted to purchase their freedom but was unsuccessful.
He worried constantly that his new family would be torn apart.
Smalls was hired as a deckhand on a Confederate supply ship called the CSS Planter.
Given his status as an enslaved man, he was not allowed the title, but he held the post nonetheless.
So as Union forces formed a blockade just outside Charleston harbor (part of President Lincoln's order to blockade all Southern ports), Smalls crafted a daring plan.
It stopped briefly at a wharf, where the families of the enslaved men boarded the ship.
He expertly navigated in the darkness, his years of experience with the waterways all culminating in this moment.
He signaled the watchtowers of the various checkpoints appropriately.
Pulled up alongside a Union ship, Smalls famously called to its captain, "Good morning, sir! I’ve brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!"
He served the Union for the remaining years of the Civil War, even returning with the CSS Planter to the ceremonial raising of the American Flag at Fort Sumter in 1865.
He became a businessman, opening a store and publishing operation to support the needs of freedmen in the region.
In 1868, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives.
In 1874, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives.
Robert Smalls had been born into slavery. 35 years later, he was a United States congressman.
His journey - from enslaved man to Civil War hero, businessman, and congressman - is truly remarkable.
The legacy of his courage and daring must never be forgotten.
Here's to you, Robert Smalls. Here's to you.
For more on Robert Smalls, check out the resources below:
https://t.co/dFGwp0irkb
https://t.co/Ip5Un5aBJ2.
https://t.co/CETAO0qPIN
Turn on post notifications so you never miss a thread! https://t.co/53UhhfzIcp
1/ An Allegory of Finance
— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) July 18, 2020
I have been posting a lot of educational (and humorous!) threads on finance, money, and economics.
My mission is simple: to demystify these concepts and make them accessible to everyone.
All of the threads can be found below. Enjoy and please share!
More from Sahil Bloom
Short Squeeze 101
If you follow financial markets (or if you watch Billions), you've heard the phrase "short squeeze" used quite frequently.
But what is a "short squeeze" and how does it work?
Here's Short Squeeze 101!
👇👇👇
1/ First, the basics.
The "short" in "short squeeze" refers to the concept of short selling.
The basics are covered in my thread below.
https://t.co/xecJYNCxMs
TL;DR - short selling is a way of betting against a stock - i.e. betting that its price will decline.
2/ "Short interest" is a measure of how heavily an asset is shorted by the market.
It is the total number of shares that have been sold short (borrowed and sold), but have not yet been covered (bought and returned).
It is usually measured as a % of the # of shares outstanding.
3/ A "short squeeze" occurs when a heavily-shorted asset experiences a rapid upward price movement.
When this happens, short sellers may be forced to close their short positions (i.e. buy the stock and return it to the broker), further accelerating the upward price movement.
4/ Let's look at a simple example to show this in action.
We will use Tesla, one of the most heavily-shorted stocks in the world.
Imagine the stock price is $1,000 per share. This seems crazy. Ricky Rational decides to short the stock at this level.
If you follow financial markets (or if you watch Billions), you've heard the phrase "short squeeze" used quite frequently.
But what is a "short squeeze" and how does it work?
Here's Short Squeeze 101!
👇👇👇
1/ First, the basics.
The "short" in "short squeeze" refers to the concept of short selling.
The basics are covered in my thread below.
https://t.co/xecJYNCxMs
TL;DR - short selling is a way of betting against a stock - i.e. betting that its price will decline.
1/ Short Selling 101
— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) July 6, 2020
With the markets continuing to rally, there has been more talk of \u201cshorting\u201d or \u201cshort selling\u201d stocks.
But what does that mean and how does it work?
Here\u2019s a quick educational primer: Short Selling 101 pic.twitter.com/JTrJmuY7fI
2/ "Short interest" is a measure of how heavily an asset is shorted by the market.
It is the total number of shares that have been sold short (borrowed and sold), but have not yet been covered (bought and returned).
It is usually measured as a % of the # of shares outstanding.
3/ A "short squeeze" occurs when a heavily-shorted asset experiences a rapid upward price movement.
When this happens, short sellers may be forced to close their short positions (i.e. buy the stock and return it to the broker), further accelerating the upward price movement.
4/ Let's look at a simple example to show this in action.
We will use Tesla, one of the most heavily-shorted stocks in the world.
Imagine the stock price is $1,000 per share. This seems crazy. Ricky Rational decides to short the stock at this level.
