Knowra Paul Robeson Paul Robeson Paul Robeson (1898–1976) was an American bass-baritone singer, actor, athlete, and political activist. His international career combined acclaimed performances with advocacy for civil rights, labor rights, and anticolonial causes.
Eslanda Goode Robeson : An American anthropologist, author, actor, and activist who was Paul Robeson’s wife and collaborator. She helped shape his political commitments and managed parts of his career.
Show Boat : A 1927 musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, set on a Mississippi River showboat. Robeson’s performance of “Ol’ Man River” became closely associated with his voice and artistry.
Bass-baritone : A male singing voice with a range between bass and baritone. Robeson’s unusually deep, resonant voice defined his concert and stage repertoire.
Passport revocation in the United States : The U.S. government’s withdrawal of a citizen’s passport, restricting international travel. The State Department revoked Robeson’s passport in 1950 amid disputes over his political statements.
Booker T. Washington : An African American educator and leader who promoted vocational education and gradual economic advancement. Washington’s accommodationist strategy contrasts with Robeson’s outspoken internationalist activism.
W. E. B. Du Bois : An American sociologist, historian, and civil rights leader who helped found the NAACP. Robeson shared Du Bois’s internationalist approach to Black freedom and anticolonialism.
The Emperor Jones : A 1920 Eugene O’Neill play about an African American ruler on a Caribbean island. Robeson’s 1924 London performance established him as a major dramatic actor.
Spirituals : Religious songs created by African Americans, especially under slavery, and transmitted through oral traditions. Robeson performed spirituals as concert works and presented them as expressions of Black history.
McCarthyism : A period of U.S. anti-communist investigations and repression, especially during the early 1950s. Robeson faced political exclusion during the anticommunist campaigns of the era.
Martin Luther King Jr. : An American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who advocated nonviolent resistance to racial segregation. King’s public strategy and political context differed from Robeson’s earlier, more radical activism.
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