Paul Robeson Essay

Paul Robeson was one of those people that, even though he has had many hardships in quite a bit of his life, he was able to achieve so much. Even when the world was against him, he can achieve what he wants to achieve. He was able to succeed academically in school in his early years, accomplish big things in his later life, and in all be a successful person in much of his life.

Paul Leroy Robeson was born in New Jersey, on April 9, 1898. He was the fifth kid of Maria Bustill and William Robeson. In his early years, Robeson experienced both family and financial losses. At six, he lost his mother in a house fire. A few years later his father lost his Princeton pastorate (office of a pastor). The family first moved to Westfield, then to Somerville,

He accepted the role of Joe in the London production of “Show Boat”. It was his singing of “Ol’ Man River” that received critical acclaim regarding the show and gave him great amount of attention from British socialites. Robeson performed concerts at Albert Hall and Sunday concerts at Drury Lane. Even though he had a lot of attention, he still encountered racism. He was refused admission to a London hotel, but because of the protest raised by him, major hotels in London said they would no longer turn blacks away. Robeson briefly returned to America in 1929 to perform at Carnegie Hall. In May of 1930, after establishing a permanent residence in England Robeson accepted the lead role in “Othello”, by Shakespeare. This was the first time since 1860 that a major production company cast a black man in the part of Moor. The audience was extremely mesmerized by his performance that the production had 20 curtain calls. Robeson returned to New York in 1933 to star “Emperor Jones” before turning to study singing and languages. His stay in the United States was short due to his treatment by the racist American film industries and because of criticism by blacks regarding his role as a corrupt emperor. He returned to England and eagerly immersed himself in his studies and mastered several languages including Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Gaelic (the Celtic language of Scotland). On a trip to the Soviet Union in 1934 to discuss the

He then went to go live with his sister, Marian, in Philadelphia. He remained in seclusion until he died there on January 23, 1976 at 74. Four days later a “Salute to Paul Robeson was held in Carnegie Hall. His funeral was held at Mother AME Zion Church in Harlem with 5,000 attending. (Paul Notable)

Paul Robeson has received three awards on record. He has won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. He has gotten the Grammy Hall of Fame for Ballad For Americans, Ol’ Man River, Show Boat, and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. He won the NAACP Image Award - Hall of Fame Award. Some of his great songs include “Old Man River”, “The Black Emperor”, and “Spring Song.” His movies include “Body and Soul”, “The Emperor Jones”, “Jericho”, “Song of Freedom”, and many more. (Paul IMDB)

Paul Leroy Robeson was a man who lived his life the way he wanted to, and do the things he wanted to even in a time where people like him were not accepted everywhere. He was able to bring joy to both the black and white