[8] During the American Civil War, Robeson served in the Union Army as a laborer, entering in 1861 at the age of 16 to join the effort to end slavery in the South.

He was said to have aligned himself "on the wrong side of a church fight," having refused to bow to pressure from the "white residents of Princeton" that he cease to "speak out against social injustice."

Upon his dismissal, Reverend William Drew Robeson bypassed any need "to recriminate and rebuke ... As I review the past," he said, "and think upon many scenes, my heart is filled with love."

"[10] He moved to Westfield, New Jersey to be the pastor of the Downer Street Saint Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church from 1907 to 1910.

[6][9] In 1910 Robeson moved to Somerville, New Jersey, where he led the congregation at the Saint Thomas African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.