As one of the most indelible figures of the American civil rights movement, Paul Robeson left an impact on history as deep as his iconic baritone. Robeson was born in 1898 in New Jersey, and in 1915 he became the third African-American student to enroll at Rutgers University. After graduating, Robeson passed on a promising career in law to focus on acting. He found instant success on Broadway, which he parlayed into a musical career. His deeply felt interpretations of traditional spirituals were a smash, and he toured the world performing until moving into activism in the early '30s.