"My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them 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." - Robert Smalls, In 1895 Congressman Robert Smalls, an escaped slave who went on to write the first legislation for a free public school education accessible to all children in the United States, always confronted his fear for the sake of making America...