The Career of Paul Robeson

During the 1890s, when Paul Robeson was born, the majority of African Americans lived in the South, an environment charged with racial bitterness and contention. Lynch mobs murdered scores of blacks each year. Although blacks had the right to vote, election fraud was notorious. Late-19th century statues passed by the legislatures of the Southern states created a racial caste system. Despite the abolition of slavery, many whites felt that blacks were inherently inferior. To support this belief they sought rationalizations through religion, sociology, and science: "This deadly confusion between biology and social learning could, by easy re-emphasis, yield a value judgment about innate black "childishness" that served as a perpetually self-justifying rationale for proscription and separation" (Duberman 65). Even Northern liberals were inclined to agree with white-supremacist attitudes. In 189

. . .
felt that Russia was the one country willing to oppose Hitler and Germany. Thus Robeson was inclined to think favorably about Russia; however, he was unprepared for the warm reception he received and the positive social and economic climate he witnessed. Robeson's first visit to the Soviet Union occurred during a golden period in that country's history. It was a brief visit, and he did not see a great deal of the country. He was feted by members of the Russian upper class, but, typical of a man of his character, Robeson insisted on viewing the living conditions of the working class as well. He was impressed not only with the relative economic equality that he saw but also with the seeming racial equality. During the 1930s, a number of American blacks had emigrated to the Soviet Union. (The Great Depression hit African Americans hard; with high unemployment, whites started to take away the domestic service jobs that were the foundation of economic health in the black community.) Robeson spoke at length with many of the Black residents of the Soviet Union: "Robeson became convinced that the Soviets had solved the minorities question--'in the only way it can be solved by granting self-determination to all nations within its
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
African Americans, Americans Government, Soviet Union, Union Robeson, Rights Congress, Valley Robeson, Russian Robeson, Beta Kappa, Paul Robeson, Law School, soviet union, african americans, communist party, robeson refused, soviet union robeson, paul robeson, union robeson, racial stereotypes, law school, russia country, 1940s robeson, communism soviet union, robeson 118 robeson, testimony california committee, world war ii,
Approximate Word count = 4152
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

More Essays on The Career of Paul Robeson