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Classroom · Grades 9–12

Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson’s career shows how fame could amplify a Black artist’s protest against segregation and colonialism, and how the Cold War state could use passports, blacklists, and surveillance to silence dissent.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 9–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 6 (Power, Authority, and Governance), 9 (Global Connections), and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.Civ.10, D2.His.1, D2.His.4
Reading
Paul Robeson (profile)

Big Idea

Paul Robeson’s career shows how fame could amplify a Black artist’s protest against segregation and colonialism, and how the Cold War state could use passports, blacklists, and surveillance to silence dissent.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Paul Robeson, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Robeson excelled in athletics, law, singing, and acting. How did each arena open or close doors for a Black American between the 1910s and the 1940s?
  2. Why do you think Robeson rewrote the words of “Ol’ Man River”? What does the change say about art as protest?
  3. The State Department cancelled Robeson’s passport in 1950. What rights are at stake when a government restricts a citizen’s travel because of political beliefs?
  4. At his 1956 hearing Robeson told the committee that its members were the un-Americans. Who gets to define patriotism, and on what grounds?
  5. How should historians weigh Robeson’s courage against his continued defense of the Soviet Union?

Activity

Students read a short excerpt of Robeson’s June 1956 testimony, from the hearing record, beginning where committee counsel asks about his travel and statements abroad. In pairs they annotate the exchange, marking each question the committee asks and whether Robeson answers, redirects, or refuses. Pairs write a two-sentence summary of what the committee wanted and what Robeson wanted the public to hear. As a class, connect the hearing to the 1950 passport cancellation and to Kent v. Dulles (1958), and discuss whether the hearing achieved the committee’s goals. (30–40 minutes.)

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Paul Robeson.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/paul-robeson/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Paul Robeson. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/paul-robeson/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Paul Robeson.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/paul-robeson/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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