The Fifth Column Menaces America on a Thousand Fronts, 1941
Zero Mostel's testimony before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, 1955
Provisional Committee to Restore Paul Robeson’s Passport
“The Case of Paul Robeson’s Passport” press release
New York, ca. 1951
Paul Robeson Collection, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
“The Case of Paul Robeson’s Passport”
Paul Robeson (1898–1976) was a prominent actor and singer in the mid-20th century, performing on stage and in films. He used his celebrity to advance causes of peace, democracy, and equality around the world, and became one of the most well-known advocates of civil rights and organized labor in the United States. Like other high-profile Black figures sympathetic to progressive causes, he was aggressively targeted by both government agencies and racist white audiences. His international activism and critical comments about the U.S. government’s treatment of Black Americans attracted government attention, and in 1950 representatives of the State Department revoked his passport, which was not returned to him until 1958. During those years, he lost many speaking and singing engagements and suffered financial hardships. By revoking Robeson’s passport, the State Department not only penalized the actor for his past political activity and limited his professional opportunities, but also sent a broader message to the American public about what types of speech were acceptable.
Teach with this item from Unit 4 of the curriculum guide, Reading Dangerously: Censorship and the Freedom to Read in 20th Century America.
: Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in…
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