Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine, The Life of Robert Smalls

Object Details

Representative Robert Smalls’ life got the graphic treatment in Golden Legacy, a Black history series first published in the 1960s. Created by former accountant Bertram Fitzgerald, who was inspired by the stories of Black historical figures he heard during his own school days, the series was an accessible and appealing vehicle for young people to learn about history and “implant pride and self-esteem in black youth while dispelling myths in others.” Robert Smalls was part of the second set of the series, which also included Frederick Douglass and Alexandre Dumas. Fitzgerald shrewdly enlisted Coca-Cola as an advertiser. In exchange for a full-page ad on the back cover, the company widely distributed the magazines in bulk to schools, libraries, the NAACP, and the Urban League.