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Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson in June 1942, photo by Gordon Parks
Born Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson
April 9, 1898(1898-04-09)
Princeton, New Jersey
Died January 23, 1976 (aged 77)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was a multi-lingual American actor, athlete, Basso cantante concert singer, writer, civil rights activist, fellow traveler, Spingarn Medal winner, and Stalin Peace Prize laureate. For the Scottish sports journalist and former footballer see Gordon Parks (footballer Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks ( November 30, 1912 Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common See also Princeton Township New Jersey, Borough of Princeton New Jersey Princeton Borough New Jersey Princeton Township New Jersey this New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A sportsperson ( British and American English) or athlete (principally American English is any person who participates regularly in a Sport. A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change In some political contexts the term fellow traveler refers to a person who sympathizes with the beliefs of a particular organization but does not belong to that organization The Spingarn Medal is awarded annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP for outstanding achievement by a African American. The International Stalin Prize or the International Stalin Prize for Strengthening Peace Among Peoples (renamed Международная Ленинская премия «За

Contents

Early life and education

Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey. See also Princeton Township New Jersey, Borough of Princeton New Jersey Princeton Borough New Jersey Princeton Township New Jersey this His father, William Drew Robeson I, ran away from a North Carolina plantation where he had been born a slave; he later graduated from Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) and became a church minister. William Drew Robeson I (July 27 1844 &ndash May 17 1918 was the father of Paul Robeson and the minister of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church in Lincoln University ( LU) is America's first degree granting historically black university located in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania [1] His mother, Maria Louisa Bustill, came from an abolitionist Quaker family. Maria Louisa Bustill Robeson ( 8 November, 1853 &ndash 20 January, 1904) was a Quaker schoolteacher the mother of Paul [1] Paul's four siblings included: William Drew Robeson, a physician who practiced in Washington, D.C.; Benjamin Robeson, a minister; Reeve Robeson (called Reed); and Marian Robeson, who lived in Philadelphia. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə In 1915, Paul graduated with honors from Somerville High School in Somerville, New Jersey, where he excelled academically and participated in singing, acting, and athletics. Somerville High School is a four-year comprehensive Public high school of the Somerville Public Schools serving students from Somerville and Branchburg Somerville is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States.

Education

Robeson won an academic scholarship to Rutgers University. Rutgers The State University of New Jersey (also known as Rutgers University) is the largest institution for higher education in the state of New Jersey He was the third African-American student accepted at Rutgers, and was the only black student during his time on campus. Robeson was one of three classmates at Rutgers accepted into Phi Beta Kappa and one of four students selected in 1919 to Cap and Skull, Rutgers' honor society. The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic Honor society with the mission of "fostering and recognizing excellence" in the Undergraduate Liberal arts Cap and Skull is a senior-year Honor society at Rutgers University, founded on January 18, 1900. He was honored with the Phi Beta Kappa Key in his third, Junior, year. [2] He was also the class valedictorian, exhorting his classmates to "catch a new vision. "[3] Rutgers-Newark honored him by naming their student-life campus center,[4][5] and art gallery after him. [6]

A noted athlete, Robeson earned altogether fifteen varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track and field. A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m For his accomplishments as an end in football, he was twice named a first-team All-American in (1917 and 1918). An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for When he went out for the Rutgers football team, the other players beat him viciously, even pulling out his fingernails. He bore the abuse to prove his worth. The football coach, Walter Camp, later described him as "the greatest to ever trot the gridiron. Walter Chauncey Camp ( April 7, 1859 &ndash March 14, 1925) was a sports writer and American football coach known as the "Father "[7] Later in his life, however, when the United States government stopped him from traveling outside the country, his name was retroactively struck from the roster of the 1917 and 1918 college All-America football teams. [8]

Columbia Law School

After graduation from Rutgers, Robeson moved to Harlem and entered Columbia, Between 1920 and 1923, Robeson helped pay his way through law school by working as an athlete and a performer. Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center Columbia Law School, located in New York City, is one of the professional schools of Columbia University, a member of the Ivy League. He played professional football in the American Professional Football Association (later called the National Football League) with the Akron Pros and Milwaukee Badgers. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Akron Pros were a National Football League team that played in Akron Ohio from 1920&ndash1925 and as the Akron Indians in 1926 The Milwaukee Badgers were a professional American football team based in Milwaukee Wisconsin that played in the National Football League from 1922 to He served as assistant football coach at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where he was initiated into the Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for African Americans. Alpha Phi Alpha ( ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans Founded on December 4 1906 on the campus of The Greek alphabet (Ελληνικό αλφάβητο is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal 32 In 1922, he starred in the play Taboo in New York and in London. [9] He graduated from Columbia in 1923, in the same law school class as William O. Douglas — later a United States Supreme Court Justice — and was hired at the law firm of Stotesbury and Miner in New York City; Robeson quit after a white secretary refused to take dictation from him because of the color of his skin. William Orville Douglas ( October 16, 1898 – January 19, 1980) was a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. Robeson later studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to " SOAS " pronounced (so as or (so az is a constituent college of the University of The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK.

Family

He married Eslanda Cardozo Goode and moved to New York (?) in August of 1921. She headed the pathology laboratory at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent University hospital in New York City, composed of two medical centers Columbia University Medical Center The City of New York Cardozo Goode was related to the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Benjamin Nathan Cardozo ( May 24, 1870 &ndash July 9, 1938) was a well-known American Lawyer and Jurist, remembered Robeson and his wife had one child, Paul Robeson II, born in 1927.

Career

Robeson found fame as an actor and singing star with his fine bass voice. He was one of the few true basses in American music, with his beautiful and powerful voice descending as low as C below the bass clef. In addition to his stage performances, his renditions of old spirituals were acclaimed; Robeson was the first to bring them to the concert stage. Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America.

Paul Robeson with Uta Hagen in the Theatre Guild production of Othello.
Paul Robeson with Uta Hagen in the Theatre Guild production of Othello. Uta Thyra Hagen ( June 12, 1919 – January 14, 2004) was a German -born American actress and acting teacher The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1919 by Theresa Helburn, Lawrence Langner, and Armina Marshall

His first roles were in 1922 playing Simon in Simon the Cyrenian at the Harlem YMCA and Jim in Taboo at the Sam Harris Theater in Harlem. Taboo was later re-named Vodoo. He was acclaimed for his 1924 performance in the title role of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones — originally performed, also with great success, by Charles Gilpin in 1920. Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16 1888–November 27 1953 was a Nobel -prize winning American playwright This article is about the play Some productions have separate pages see productions and spinoffs below for links He was also noted in his early career for his performance in All God's Chillun Got Wings in which he portrayed the black husband of an abusive white woman who, resenting her husband's skin color, destroys his promising career as a lawyer. [10]

Next he played Crown in the stage version of DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy, which provided the basis for George and Ira Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess. DuBose Heyward ( August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) was an American author best known for his 1924 Novel Porgy is a novel written by DuBose Heyward in 1925 as well as a play Dorothy Heyward helped him to write which debuted in 1927 George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. Ira Gershwin ( 6 December 1896 &ndash 17 August 1983) was an American Lyricist who collaborated with his younger Porgy and Bess is an Opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, Libretto by DuBose Heyward, and Then, in 1930, he starred in the title role in Shakespeare's Othello in England, when no US company would employ him for the part. William Shakespeare ( baptised England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland He reprised the role in New York in 1943, and toured the U. S. with it until 1945. His Broadway run of Othello is still, as of 2006, the longest of any Shakespeare play. William Shakespeare ( baptised He won the Spingarn Medal in 1945 for this performance. The Spingarn Medal is awarded annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP for outstanding achievement by a African American. Uta Hagen played Desdemona, and José Ferrer played Iago. Uta Thyra Hagen ( June 12, 1919 – January 14, 2004) was a German -born American actress and acting teacher José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón ( January 8, 1909 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican theater and He played the role of Joe, which was written for him, in the 1928 London production of Show Boat, and repeated his performance in the 1932 Broadway revival of the show, the 1936 film version, and a 1940 Los Angeles stage production. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book (based on a novel by Edna Ferber) and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West His rendition of "Ol' Man River" is widely considered the definitive version of the song. He also played the role of Toussaint L'Ouverture in a 1936 play by C.L.R. James alongside the actor Robert Adams. François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture Cyril Lionel Robert James ( 4 January 1901 &ndash 19 May 1989) was an Afro- Trinidadian Journalist Robert Adams (1906–1965 was a pioneering black actor on the stage TV and films as well as the founder and director of the Negro Repertory Arts Theatre one of the first professional Robeson's repertoire of African-American folk songs helped bring these to much wider attention both inside the US and abroad — in particular his rendition of "Go Down Moses. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa " Go Down Moses " is an American Negro spiritual. It describes events in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Exodus 51 "And " Robeson also became interested in the folk music of the world; he came to be conversant with 20 languages, fluent or near fluent in 12. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous His standard repertoire after the 1920s included songs in many languages (e. g. , Chinese, Russian, Yiddish, German, etc. ).

Between 1925 and 1942 Robeson appeared in eleven films — all but four of them British productions — after he and his wife moved to England in the late 1920s. He remained there, with long periods away on singing tours, until the outbreak of World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including At the height of his popularity in the 1930s, Robeson became a major box office attraction in British films such as Song of Freedom and The Proud Valley. "Song of Freedom" is a 1936 British film starring Paul Robeson. Proud Valley is a 1940 Ealing Studios film starring Paul Robeson. Briefly returning to the US he reprised his title role in Dudley Murphy's film version of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones in 1933. Dudley Murphy (July 10 1897 &ndash February 22 1968 Murphy was born on July 10 1897 in Winchester Massachusetts. Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16 1888–November 27 1953 was a Nobel -prize winning American playwright This article is about the play Some productions have separate pages see productions and spinoffs below for links The 1936 Universal film Show Boat was a box office hit for Robeson, and the most frequently shown and highly acclaimed of all his films. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Show Boat ( 1936) is a film based on the musical by Jerome Kern (music and Oscar Hammerstein II (script and lyrics and His performance of "Ol' Man River" for this film was particularly notable. " Ol' Man River " (music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) is a song in the 1927 musical Show Boat, that tells He was Umbopa in the 1937 version of King Solomon's Mines. King Solomon's Mines is a 1937 movie the first Film adaptation of the 1885 novel by the same name by Henry Rider Haggard In films such as Jericho and Proud Valley, he portrayed strong black American male leading roles. Robeson left Britain during the Second World War. It was later discovered that his name was in The Black Book, a Nazi document listing thousands of people living in Britain who were to be arrested following the successful completion of Operation Sealion. The Black Book was the post-war name given to the Sonderfahndungsliste G Operation Sealion (Unternehmen Seelöwe was Germany's plan to invade the United Kingdom during World War II, beginning in 1940

International travels

Robeson toured Republican Spain during the Spanish Civil War and was photographed with members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, including its black commander Oliver Law. The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of The Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. Oliver Law (1899 &ndash July 9, 1937) was an African American communist, labor organizer and social activist who fought in the Abraham His repertoire included Peat Bog Soldiers, which was popular with International Brigades volunteers and veterans alike. Peat Bog Soldiers is one of Europe's best-known protest songs The International Brigades were Republican Military units in the Spanish Civil War, formed of many non-state sponsored volunteers of different countries Robeson was among the first performers to sing in concert on behalf of the U. S. troops during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including [8]

Robeson's association with Wales began in 1928 while he was performing in London in the musical Show Boat. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book (based on a novel by Edna Ferber) and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein There, he met a group of unemployed miners who had taken part in a "hunger march" from South Wales to protest their situation. During the 1930s, Robeson made several visits to Welsh mining areas, including performances in Cardiff, Neath and Aberdare. [11] In 1934, he performed in Caernarfon to benefit the victims of an industrial accident at Gresford colliery, near Wrexham, in which 264 miners were killed. [12] In 1938, he performed in front of an audience of 7,000 at the Welsh International Brigades National Memorial in Mountain Ash, to commemorate the 33 men from Wales killed while fighting on the side of the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. The International Brigades were Republican Military units in the Spanish Civil War, formed of many non-state sponsored volunteers of different countries The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of In 1940, he appeared in The Proud Valley, playing a black laborer who arrives in the Rhondda and wins the hearts of the local people. Proud Valley is a 1940 Ealing Studios film starring Paul Robeson.

Robeson remains a celebrated figure in Wales. The exhibit Let Paul Robeson Sing! was unveiled in Cardiff in 2001, going on to tour several Welsh towns and cities. [13] A number of Welsh artists have celebrated Robeson's life: The Manic Street Preachers' song "Let Robeson Sing" appears on the album Know Your Enemy. Manic Street Preachers (often known colloquially as the " Manics " or " MSP " are a Welsh rock band consisting of James " Let Robeson Sing " is a song by the Manic Street Preachers in 2001 (see 2001 in music) the fourth single to be released from the Know Your The band also covered "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?"— the spiritual sung by Robeson as part of his 1957 telephone performance to the Miners' Eisteddfod in Porthcawl. The play Paul Robeson Knew My Father by Greg Cullen, set in the Rhondda during the 1950s, features a character with a childhood obsession for Robeson's music and films. [14] Martyn Joseph's song Proud Valley Boy on his 2005 album Deep Blue is also based on Robeson's Welsh connections. Martyn Joseph (born 1960 Penarth, Wales) is a Welsh Singer-songwriter.

Political activism, politics, communism, and the Cold War

On his frequent trips to Western Europe and the Soviet Union he was highly critical of the conditions experienced by black Americans, especially in the segregated southern states. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Robeson was an activist against lynching. Lynching in the United States is the practice in the 19th and 20th centuries of the humiliation and killing of people by mobs acting outside the law He pressed President Harry S. Truman aggressively on the issue in 1946, and said black people would fight back to defend themselves if the government did not. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Also in 1946, he founded the American Crusade Against Lynching. The American Crusade Against Lynching was an organization created in 1946 and headed by Paul Robeson, dedicated to eliminating Lynching in the United States. Robeson‘s advocacy for the Soviet Union was controversial and led to his becoming a target by political critics.

Civil rights

Robeson spoke out against racist conditions experienced by Asian and Black Americans; he condemned segregation in both the North and the South. In particular, Robeson spoke out against lynching and, in 1946, he founded the American Crusade Against Lynching. Lynching in the United States is the practice in the 19th and 20th centuries of the humiliation and killing of people by mobs acting outside the law The American Crusade Against Lynching was an organization created in 1946 and headed by Paul Robeson, dedicated to eliminating Lynching in the United States.

In 1948, Robeson was active in the presidential campaign to elect Progressive Party candidate Henry A. Wallace, who had served as Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President, and Secretary of Commerce in the administrations of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The United States Progressive Party of 1948 was a political party that ran former Vice President Henry A Henry Agard Wallace (October 7 1888 &ndash November 18 1965 was the thirty-third Vice President of the United States (1941&ndash45 the eleventh Secretary of On the campaign trail in June of that year, Robeson went to Georgia, where he sang before "overflow audiences. . . in Negro churches in Atlanta and Macon. "[15]

At a Bill of Rights Conference in New York City in July 1949, a resolution was introduced calling for the freeing all 19 Trotskyists convicted in 1941 under the provisions of the Smith Act, being used at that time against the leaders of the CPUSA. A Bill of Rights is a list or summary of rights that are considered important and essential by a group of people The City of New York Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act ( of 1940 is a United States federal statute that makes it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly or willfully advocate Robeson gave a speech denouncing this idea, saying that the imprisoned Socialist Workers Party members were “the allies of Fascism who want to destroy the new democracies of the world. Let’s not get confused, they are the enemies of the working class. Would you give civil rights to the Ku Klux Klan?" The resolution was defeated and Robeson's speech is credited with its defeat. Robeson biographer Martin Duberman commented that this "was not Robeson's finest hour. Martin Bauml Duberman (b August 6, 1930) is an American historian playwright and gay-rights activist "

Robeson became an increasingly unpopular figure with the right during the Cold War and, in 1949, a planned concert by him in Peekskill, New York to benefit the Civil Rights Congress resulted in the Peekskill Riots. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Peekskill is a city in Westchester County New York. It is situated on a Bay along the east side of the Hudson River. The Civil Rights Congress (CRC was a civil rights organization formed in 1946 by a merger of the International Labor Defense and the National Federation for Constitutional The so-called Peekskill Riots were anti- Communist riots (with anti- Black and Anti-Semitic undertones that took place at Van Cortlandtville, The original August 27 concert was postponed after concert-goers were attacked by an angry mob carrying baseball bats. The event was rescheduled for September 4 and was attended by 20,000 people but the aftermath of the concert was marred by violence when a miles-long gauntlet of hostile locals, veterans and outside agitators threw rocks through the windshields of cars and buses, injuring 140 people.

The Council on African Affairs

Paul Robeson's tireless involvement in dispelling the myths about the continent of Africa is a key aspect to his legacy as well the reason for his relentless persecution by Hoover's FBI and the Right Wing of the US. A large aspect of Robeson's persecution was due not necessarily to his support of the Soviet Union, which was a common cause célèbre of many well known artists at the time of the Red scare, but to his fervent dedication to freeing Africa from the shackles of Colonialist exploitation. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

Paul Robeson's founding in 1937, along with Max Yergan, The Council on African Affairs saw the first major US organization created whose focus was on providing pertinent and up to date information about Africa across the United States, particularly to African Americans. Max Yergan (born 1892 in Raleigh North Carolina; died 1975 was an African American activist notable for being a Baptist missionary for the YMCA, then a Communist African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa During WWII , the Council functioned as a broad based coalition that included a variety of activists, some of whom were associated with the Communist Party. Probably the most successful campaign of the Council was for South African famine relief in 1946. Robeson along with Essie became an honorary members of the West African Students' Union in London during the 1930s, becoming acquainted with African students Kwame Nkrumah and Jomo Kenyatta future presidents of Ghana and Kenya, respectively. Kwame Nkrumah ( September 21, 1909 - April 27, 1972) was an influential 20th century advocate of Pan-Africanism, and the leader of Jomo Kenyatta ( October 20, 1894 &ndash August 22, 1978) served as the first Prime Minister (1963&ndash1964 and President The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south The vilification of Robeson's work for African liberation reached its zenith when Hoover with the help of the NAACP, arranged for a ghost written leaflet to be printed and distributed in Africa called "Paul Robeson: Lost Shepherd. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is one of the oldest and most influential Civil rights organizations "

The Soviet Union, Stalin, and communism

After traveling to Europe for several years in the early 1930s, Robeson was extended and accepted an offer to visit the Soviet Union. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 While there, Robeson was given the red carpet treatment, according to biographer Martin Duberman, including trips to the theatre, banquets, and other attractions. Robeson became captivated with this new society and its leadership, declaring "that the country was entirely free of racial prejudice and that Afro-American spiritual music resonated to Russian folk traditions. “Here, for the first time in my life . . . I walk in full human dignity. ”

Through his writings and speeches, Robeson went on to defend the foreign and domestic policies of the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin. During the Soviet purges, Robeson allegedly told a Daily Worker reporter that “from what I have already seen of the workings of the Soviet Government, I can only say that anybody who lifts his hand against it ought to be shot!”[16] After the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Robeson proclaimed during a speech at the Paris World Peace Congress in 1949 that “It is unthinkable that American Negroes will go to war on behalf of those who have oppressed us for generations. Great Purge (Большая чистка transliterated Bolshaya chistka) was a series of campaigns of Political repression and Persecution The North Atlantic Treaty The World Peace Council (or World Council of Peace) was formed in 1949 in order to promote Peaceful coexistence and Nuclear disarmament. . . against a country [the Soviet Union] which in one generation has raised our people to the full dignity of mankind. ” Sugar Ray Robinson responded to this by saying that although he did not know Robeson he would “punch him in the mouth” if he met him. Sugar Ray Robinson' (born Walker Smith Jr, May 3 1921 – April 12 1989 was a professional boxer [17] Even while many former left wing supporters of the Soviet Union learned of the atrocities being committed there and began publicly denouncing their former affiliations, Robeson held firm.

During his lifetime, Robeson always denied that he was a Communist Party member. But after his death, at the occasion of his 100th birthday in 1988, the American Communist Party issued a pamphlet "Paul Robeson: An American Communist," by CP chairman Gus Hall, in which the Party acknowledged that Robeson had been a secret member. Hall wrote: "My own most precious moments with Paul were when I met with him to accept his dues and renew his yearly membership in the CPUSA. "

In March of 1950, NBC cancelled Robeson’s scheduled appearance on former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s television program, Today with Mrs. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (ˈɛlɪnɔr ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 11 1884 &ndash November 7 1962 Roosevelt. A spokesman for NBC declared that Robeson would never appear on NBC. Press releases of the Civil Rights Congress objected that "censorship of Mr. The Civil Rights Congress (CRC was a civil rights organization formed in 1946 by a merger of the International Labor Defense and the National Federation for Constitutional Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor Robeson's appearance on TV is a crude attempt to silence the outstanding spokesman for the Negro people in their fight for civil and human rights" and that our "basic democratic rights are under attack under the smoke-screen of anti-Communism. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled For the Transformers character see Smokescreen (Transformers A smoke screen is a release of Smoke in order to mask the movement Anti-communism refers to opposition to Communism. Historically the word "communism" has been used to refer to several types of communal social organization and " Protesters picketed NBC offices and protests arrived from numerous public figures, organizations and others. [18]

Because of the controversy surrounding him, Paul Robeson's recordings and films lost mainstream distribution. During the height of the Cold War it became increasingly difficult in the United States to hear Robeson sing on commercial radio, or to see any of his films, including the acclaimed 1936 version of Show Boat.

Stamp issued by East Germany in 1983 to honor Paul Robeson.
Stamp issued by East Germany in 1983 to honor Paul Robeson. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state

In 1952, Robeson was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. The International Stalin Prize or the International Stalin Prize for Strengthening Peace Among Peoples (renamed Международная Ленинская премия «За In April, 1953 shortly after Joseph Stalin's death he wrote a eulogy entitled To You Beloved Comrade,[19] in which he praised Stalin's "deep humanity," "wise understanding," and dedication to peaceful co-existence with all the peoples of the world calling him “wise and good”.

Itzik Feffer

On July 8, 1943, at the largest pro-Soviet rally ever held in the United States, an event organized by the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee and chaired by Albert Einstein, Robeson met Solomon Mikhoels, the popular actor and director of the Moscow State Jewish Theater and the Yiddish poet Itzik Feffer. The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee ( JAC, Russian language: Еврейский антифашистский комитет, ЕАК) was formed Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical Solomon (Shloyme Mikhoels שלמה מיכאָעלס Соломон Михайлович Михоэлс (Вовси ( - January 12/13 1948 was a Soviet Jewish actor Itzik Feffer (1900 — August 12, 1952) also Fefer ( Yiddish איציק פֿעפֿער Russian Ицик Фефер Исаàк Соломòнович Mikhoels headed the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee in what was then the Soviet Union; Feffer was his second. After the rally, Robeson and his wife Essie entertained Feffer and Mikhoels.

Six years later, in June 1949, during the 150th anniversary celebration of the birth of Alexander Pushkin, Robeson visited the Soviet Union to sing in concert. Concerned about the welfare of Jewish artists, Robeson insisted to Soviet officials that he meet with Feffer. [20] Forced to communicate through hand gestures and notes because the room was bugged, Feffer indicated that Mikhoels had been murdered in 1948 by the secret police. Robeson responded publicly during his concert in Tchaikovsky Hall on June 14 by paying tribute to his friends Feffer and Mikhoels and by singing the Vilna Partisan song "Zog Nit Keynmol" in both Russian and Yiddish to honor them. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the The Fareinigte Partizaner Organizacje (" United Partisan Organization " referred to as FPO by its Yiddish initials was a Jewish [21][22] Upon returning to the United States, however, Robeson denied the widespread persecution of Jews stating that he "met Jewish people all over the place. . . I heard no word about it. "[23].

Robeson is, however, often criticized for continuing to support the Soviet Union despite being aware of Soviet anti-Semitism. According to Joshua Rubenstein's book, Stalin's Secret Pogrom, Robeson justified his silence on the grounds that any public criticism of the USSR would reinforce the authority of anti-Soviet elements in the United States which, he believed, wanted a preemptive war against the Soviet Union. [24] A number of biographies of Robeson, including his son's, suggest that another major reason for his silence was that he felt that criticism of the Soviet Union by him would only serve to shore up reactionary elements in the U. S. , the same elements that helped block anti-lynching legislation, and maintained a racial climate in the South that allowed lynching to continue.

HUAC and FBI investigations

His political statements and activism, including sympathies expressed towards the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin in particular, rumors of membership in the American Communist Party,[25] and his frequent trips to the Soviet Union, led to his being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under J. Edgar Hoover. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party The Communist Party of the United States of America ( CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist Political party in the United States. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Postnominal initials Robeson was under surveillance by the FBI from 1941 to 1974, when the Bureau decided that "no further investigation [of Robeson] was warranted. "[26]

In 1946, Robeson was questioned by the Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities in California. When he was asked whether he was a member of the Communist Party, Robeson replied that he might as well have been asked whether he was a registered Democrat or Republican — in the United States the Communist Party was equally legal. But, he added, he was not a Communist. [27]

Ten years later, in 1956, Robeson was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) after he refused to sign an affidavit affirming that he was not a Communist. The House Committee on Un-American Activities ( HUAC or HCUA 1938–1975 was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In response to questions concerning his alleged Communist Party membership, Robeson reminded the Committee that the Communist Party was a legal party and invited its members to join him in the voting booth before he invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to respond. The Fifth Amendment ( Amendment V) of the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, is related to legal procedure Robeson lambasted Committee members on civil rights issues concerning African-Americans. When one senator asked him why he hadn't remained in the Soviet Union, he replied, "My father was a slave and my people died to build this country, and I'm going to stay right here and have a part of it, just like you. And no fascist-minded people will drive me from it. Is that clear?". Shortly thereafter he stated "I am here because I am opposing the neo-fascist cause, which I see arising in these committees. ". (Audio recording of Paul Robeson's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, June 12, 1956) At one point he remarked, "you are the nonpatriots, and you are the un-Americans, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. "[28] In making these statements, he was the only major figure to testify before HUAC who directly attacked the committee, and turned their own accusations against them.

Passport revocation

In 1950 the State Department denied Robeson a passport and issued a "stop notice" at all ports, effectively confining him to the United States. When Robeson and his lawyers met with officials at the State Department on August 23, 1950 and asked why it was "detrimental to the interests of the United States Government" for him to travel abroad, they were told that "his frequent criticism of the treatment of blacks in the United States should not be aired in foreign countries"—it was a "family affair. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "[29] When Robeson inquired about being re-issued a passport, the State Department declined, citing Robeson’s refusal to sign a statement guaranteeing not to give any speeches while outside the U. S. [30] Robeson's passport revocation was similar to that of other individuals that the State Department deemed pro-Soviet, including the writers Howard Fast and Albert E. Kahn, W.E.B. Du Bois and Richard Morford, who headed the National Council of America-Soviet Friendship. Howard Melvin Fast (11 November 1914 New York City - 12 March 2003 Old Greenwich, Connecticut) was a Jewish American Novelist and Albert Eugene Kahn ( May 11, 1912 &ndash September 19, 1979) was an American Journalist, and nephew of modernist industrial William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (duːˈbɔɪz ( February 23, 1868 August 27, 1963) was an American Civil rights activist

In a symbolic act of defiance against the travel ban, labor unions in the U. S. and Canada organized a concert at the International Peace Arch on the border between Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia on May 18, 1952. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Peace Arch is a Monument situated on the Canada – United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [31] Paul Robeson stood on the back of a flat bed truck on the American side of the U. S. -Canada border and performed a concert for a crowd on the Canadian side, variously estimated at between 20,000 and 40,000 people. Robeson returned to perform a second concert at the Peace Arch in 1953,[32] and over the next two years two further concerts were scheduled. (Officially, the travel ban did not prevent Robeson from entering Canada, as travel across the Canada-United States border did not require a passport, but the State Department directly intervened to block Robeson from travelling to Canada. )

In 1956, Robeson left the United States for the first time since the travel ban was imposed, performing concerts in two Canadian cities, Sudbury and Toronto, in March of that year. Greater Sudbury (2006 Census population 157857 is a city in Northern Ontario, Canada. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario The travel ban ended in 1958 when Robeson’s passport was returned to him. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Later life

Robeson's autobiography, Here I Stand, was published by a British publishing company in 1958.

Also that year, Robeson's 60th birthday was celebrated in several US cities and twenty-seven countries across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, as well as in the Soviet Union. [33] In particular, in the USSR he visited Young Pioneer camp Artek with his wife Eslanda and performed in concert there on September 6, 1958. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Young Pioneer camp (Пионерский лагерь was the name for the Vacation or Summer camp of Young Pioneers. Artek ( Арте́к) was an All-Union and international Young Pioneer camp in the Soviet Union. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [34] In May of 1958 his passport was finally restored and he was able to travel again, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Kent vs. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Dulles, that the Secretary of State had no right to deny a passport or require any citizen to sign an affidavit because of his political beliefs. [35] As part of his "comeback", he gave two sold-out recitals that month in Carnegie Hall, which were released on LP and later on CD. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east Long play (LP record albums are 33⅓  Rpm vinyl Gramophone records (phonograph records generally either 10- or 12- Inches in diameter A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio They would be his only stereo recordings. Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical

In the late 1950s, Robeson moved to the United Kingdom and traveled extensively. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located He spent five years touring the world, playing Othello again in Tony Richardson's 1959 production at Stratford-upon-Avon, and singing throughout Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Tony Richardson ( June 5, 1928 – November 14, 1991) was an English theatre and Academy Award -winning film Stratford-upon-Avon (ˌstrætfɚd əpɒn ˈɛɪvən is a Market town and Civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island On his visit to England he befriended actor Andrew Faulds and inspired him to take up a career in politics. Andrew Matthew William Faulds (1 March 1923 &ndash 31 May 2000 was a British Actor and Politician. [36] He had health problems during his travels, and spent some time in Russian and East German hospitals.

In 1961, Robeson attempted suicide in a Moscow hotel room. His son claimed this was precipitated by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent who placed some synthetic hallucinogens into his drink under a covert program called MK Ultra. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all [37] Paul Robeson returned to live in the United States in 1963. For the remainder of his life he was plagued by ill health, and his appearances were relatively few.

Over 3,000 people gathered in Carnegie Hall to salute Robeson's 75th birthday, including Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Pete Seeger, Angela Davis, Dolores Huerta, Dizzy Gillespie, Odetta, Leon Bibb, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte (who also produced the show), James Earl Jones, Zero Mostel, Roscoe Lee Browne, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Coretta Scott King; birthday greetings arrived from President Julius K. Nyerere of Tanzania, Prime Minister Michael Manley of Jamaica, President Cheddi Jagan of Guyana, President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Indira Gandhi, Arthur Ashe, Linus Pauling, Judge George W. Crockett, Leonard Bernstein and the African National Congress. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east William Ramsey Clark (born December 18 1927 is a lawyer and former United States Attorney General. Peter "Pete" Seeger (born May 3 1919 is an American folk singer political Activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944 in Birmingham Alabama) is an American Political activist and University Dolores C Huerta (born April 10, 1930) is the co-founder and First Vice President Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America AFL-CIO (UFW John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( October 21 1917 &ndash January 6 1993) was an American Jazz Trumpeter Odetta (born December 31, 1930) is an African-American singer actress guitarist songwriter and a human rights activist often referred to as "The Leon Bibb is a news anchor for WEWS-TV in Cleveland and was a member of the BGSU Board of Trustees Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE (ˈpwɑːtie born February 20, 1927) is an Oscar - Golden Globe - BAFTA - and Grammy Harold George Belafonte Jr (born March 1 1927 is an American musician actor and Social activist. James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American Actor of Film and stage well known for his deep basso Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel ( February 28 1915 – September 8 1977) was an American Actor of stage and Roscoe Lee Browne ( May 2 1925 &ndash April 11 2007) was an American Actor and director, known for his Ossie Davis ( December 18 1917 – February 4 2005) was an American Film Actor, director, Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an American Actress, Poet, Playwright, Screenwriter, Journalist Coretta Scott King (April 27 1927 January 30 2006 was an American Author and Activist, perhaps most recognized as the wife of Martin Julius Kambarage Nyerere ( April 13, 1922 - October 14, 1999) served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika Michael Norman Manley ON ( December 10, 1924 – March 6, 1997) was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica Cheddi Berret Jagan ( March 22, 1918 &ndash March 6, 1997) was a Guyanese politician who was Chief Minister of British Kenneth David Kaunda, commonly known as KK (born April 28, 1924) served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991 Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī) ( Née: Nehru (19 November 1917 - 31 October 1984 was the Prime Minister of the Arthur Robert Ashe Jr ( July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an African American Tennis player who was born and raised Linus Carl Pauling (February 28 1901 – August 19 1994 was an American Scientist, Peace activist, Author and educator. George William Crockett Jr ( August 10, 1909 &ndash September 7, 1997) was an African American attorney jurist and politician WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes The African National Congress (ANC has been South Africa 's governing party supported by its Tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions Robeson was unable to attend due to illness, but a taped message from him was played which said in part, "Though I have not been able to be active for several years, I want you to know that I am the same Paul, dedicated as ever to the worldwide cause of humanity for freedom, peace and brotherhood. "[38]

In 1976, at the age of 77, Paul Robeson died of a stroke in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he had been living with his sister. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə He was interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located on Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, about Hartsdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County New York. [39][40]

Beginning in 1978, Paul Robeson's films were finally shown on American television, with Show Boat making its cable television debut in 1983. In recent years, Robeson's silent films have appeared on Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies ( TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial -free classic movies mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner

Legacy

Filmography

References

  1. ^ a b Paul Robeson Centennial Celebration, A Brief Biography
  2. ^ Paul Robeson Campus Center
  3. ^ Time Magazine, 1998. Body and Soul, filmed in 1924 and released in 1925, is the best-known silent Race film of pioneer African-American Camille ( 1926) is a Short film by Ralph Barton, the creation of which is described in Bruce Kellner 's The Last Dandy, a Borderline is a 1930 silent film by Kenneth MacPherson starring Paul Robeson. The Emperor Jones is a 1933 film by Dudley Murphy based on the play by Eugene O'Neill. Sanders of the River is a 1935 film directed by Zoltán Korda. Show Boat ( 1936) is a film based on the musical by Jerome Kern (music and Oscar Hammerstein II (script and lyrics and "Song of Freedom" is a 1936 British film starring Paul Robeson. King Solomon's Mines is a 1937 movie the first Film adaptation of the 1885 novel by the same name by Henry Rider Haggard Proud Valley is a 1940 Ealing Studios film starring Paul Robeson. Tales of Manhattan is a 1942 Black-and-white Anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier.
  4. ^ Rutgers-Newark: The State University of New Jersey
  5. ^ Paul Robeson Campus Center
  6. ^ Paul Robeson Galleries
  7. ^ College Football News, Top 100 Players.
  8. ^ a b Robeson, Susan. "Paul Robeson", New York Times, September 26, 1982. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2007-06-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.  "He was among the first to concertize on behalf of the American war effort and he became one of the top American actors and singers of that era. . . . From 1948 - when he was at the pinnacle of fame and fortune - until 1958, Robeson was silenced because his exercise of free speech did not please forces in the American Government of that time. His passport was revoked from 1950 until 1958, when the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional; at the same time he was barred from virtually every concert hall and recording studio in America - a ban that lasted a decade. Robeson records disappeared from the stores, and, quite astonishingly, his name was struck from the roster of the 1917 and 1918 college All-America football teams. " 
  9. ^ Paul Robeson Honored On New Black Heritage Series Commemorative Postage Stamp
  10. ^ "All God's Chillun", Time (magazine), March 17, 1924. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-06-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.  "The dramatic miscegenation will shortly be enacted in the Provincetown Playhouse, Manhattan, by a brilliant Negro named Paul Robeson and a brilliant white named Mary Blair. Miscegenation (Latin miscere "to mix" + genus "kind" is the mixing of different racial groups, that is marrying, cohabiting The Provincetown Playhouse is a theater in Manhattan. It is named for the Provincetown Players, who converted the former bottling plant into a theater in 1918 Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Mary Blair ( October 21, 1911 &ndash July 26, 1978) born Mary Robinson, was an American artist best remembered today for work done The producers are the Provincetown Players, headed by Eugene O'Neill, dramatist; Robert Edmund Jones, artist, and Kenneth Macgowan, author. Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16 1888–November 27 1953 was a Nobel -prize winning American playwright Kenneth Macgowan ( 30 November 1888, Winthrop Massachusetts - 27 April 1963, West Los Angeles) began his career as a drama Many white people do not like the idea. Neither do many black. " 
  11. ^ Paul Robeson
  12. ^ http://www.caernarfononline.co.uk/wyddech_chi/pavilion2eng/index.htm
  13. ^ http://www.llgc.org.uk/paulrobeson/index_s.htm
  14. ^ Greg Cullen website
  15. ^ The Atlanta Journal 6/21/48
  16. ^ "I Am at Home" Says Robeson at Reception in Soviet Union, Daily Worker, January 15, 1935
  17. ^ An American Hero, The American Spectator, April 11, 2007
  18. ^ Paul Robeson Chronology
  19. ^ To You Beloved Comrade”
  20. ^ Stewart, pg. The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a Comintern -affiliated organization 225.
  21. ^ http://www.panartist.com/paulrobeson.htm
  22. ^ Paul Robeson Live Concert in Moscow at Tchaikovsky Hall
  23. ^ Paul Robeson: A Flawed Martyr, New Politics; Summer 1998
  24. ^ [1].
  25. ^ There is no evidence that Robeson ever was a member of the Communist Party. According to records released under the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI believed that Robeson might have joined the Party under the name "John Thomas" but "his Communist Party membership book number is not known. " Robeson's biographer, Martin Duberman, concludes that "he was never a member of CPUSA, never a functionary, never a participant in its daily bureaucratic operations. " (Duberman, pp. 301, 418, 440. )
  26. ^ FBI File on Paul Robeson
  27. ^ Duberman, pp. 307-308
  28. ^ Duberman, pp. 439-442
  29. ^ Duberman, p. 389
  30. ^ Duberman, p. 389
  31. ^ Duberman, p. 400
  32. ^ Duberman p. 411
  33. ^ Paul Robeson Chronology.
  34. ^ The International Children Center Artek Timeline - the 1950s
  35. ^ Duberman, p. 463
  36. ^ White, Michael. "Obituary: Andrew Faulds", The Guardian, 1 June 2000. Retrieved on 2007-08-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation  
  37. ^ "Did the U.S. Government Drug Paul Robeson?" Democracy Now, July 6, 1999
  38. ^ Paul Robeson Chronology
  39. ^ "Paul Robeson Dead at 77; Singer, Actor and Activist; Paul Robeson, the Singer, Actor and Activist, Is Dead", New York Times, January 24, 1976, Saturday. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-06-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.  "Paul Robeson, the singer, actor and black activist, died yesterday at the age of 77 in Philadelphia. " 
  40. ^ "Died", Time (magazine), February 2, 1976. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-06-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.  "Paul Robeson, 77, superbly talented and ultimately tragic singer, actor and civil rights leader who won a world fame known to few blacks of his generation and spent his last years sick, half-forgotten and, in Coretta Scott King's words, "buried alive"; following a stroke; in Philadelphia. " 
  41. ^ Paul Robeson Library at the Camden Campus of Rutgers University.
  42. ^ Paul Robeson House :: gophila.com - The Official Visitor Site for Greater Philadelphia
  43. ^ PlantFiles: Detailed information on the Paul Robeson tomato, PlantFiles: Paul Robeson tomato
  44. ^ Paul Robeson honored on Postage Stamp, Paul Robeson, 27th stamp in Black Heritage Stamp series
  45. ^ Corliss, Richard; Top 10 DVDs; time. Richard Nelson Corliss (born 1943 is a writer for Time magazine who focuses on Movies, with the occasional article on music or sports com

Further reading

External links


Persondata
NAME Robeson, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Robeson, Paul LeRoy Bustill
SHORT DESCRIPTION actor, athlete, Basso cantante concert singer, writer, civil rights activist
DATE OF BIRTH 1898-4-9
PLACE OF BIRTH Princeton, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH 1976-1-23
PLACE OF DEATH Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The National Anthem of the Soviet Union (or Hymn, Гимн Советского Союза Gimn Sovetskogo Soyuza) replaced The Internationale Anthony "Tony" Neil Wedgwood Benn (born 3 April 1925 formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, is a British Socialist Politician. For all other high schools within the state of New York excluding New York City ( Bronx, Kings, New York Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A sportsperson ( British and American English) or athlete (principally American English is any person who participates regularly in a Sport. A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change See also Princeton Township New Jersey, Borough of Princeton New Jersey Princeton Borough New Jersey Princeton Township New Jersey this New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern
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