Robeson’s Passport Revocation (1950)

In 1950, at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. State Department revoked Paul Robeson's passport, citing his outspoken criticism of American racism and his refusal to disavow sympathy for the Soviet Union, effectively barring him from international travel for eight years. The revocation devastated Robeson's career, cutting off the overseas concerts and appearances that had made him one of the most celebrated performers in the world, and the government held firm even after Robeson's case reached the Supreme Court in 1958, when the ruling in Kent v. Dulles finally forced its reversal.