Cassius Clay Research Paper

Mike Tyson was on top of the world, winning the WBC boxing title in 1986 at age 20 (“Sports”). Although Tyson is acclaimed to be one of the best boxers to ever live, he had a dark side to his character. Much like Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, Tyson was, in a way, was publicly shunned.Something they both share in common is what they were punished for. It could be said both were shunned because of committing adultery. Tyson’s hyper aggressiveness led to many runs-in with the law and being suspended from boxing.

Boxing, an official sanctioned sport in the early 20th century, is a sport that is known as one of the most violent and physically demanding sports on the earth. Professional boxers that get paid to fight must be in top shape in order to preform at the highest level. Being a professional boxer is a tough life. Boxers train hard for many months leading up to one fight and either win, lose, knock out the opponent or even get knocked out. The sport has been around for centuries, but has most recently taken off over the last 100 years. It is a multibillion dollar industry with fighters taking home hundreds of thousands of dollars if not even millions of dollars for big matches. In his novel Papa Jack, Roberts tells the story of the famous African American boxer Jack Johnson. He details the boxers rise to fame and fortune and his downward spiral that would soon follow. In Papa Jack, Roberts displays life of a professional boxer through firsthand accounts with events that happened during Johnson’s life and shows how boxing not only influenced his life but also how he influenced the African American community.

In the South for Black Americans, Joe Louis served as a way of fighting for equality. Joe Louis gave the Southern Blacks’ hope and confidence through the Great Depression as well as life. The reason it gave many Black Americans confidence was because he let the world know that a Black was just as good, if not better, than a white. After Joe Louis became heavyweight champion of the world, this made some Whites angry knowing that a Black man had bested one of their own. In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings on page 136, Maya portrays the fear in Southern Black Americans knowing Joe Louis had won. “It would take an hour or more before the people would leave the Store and head for home. Those who lived too far had made arrangements to stay in town. It wouldn’t do for a Black man and his family to be caught on a lonely country road on a night when Joe Louis had proved that we were the strongest people in the world.” Maya knew the instant Joe Louis had won, that Whites’ were angry and wanting revenge. Joe Louis’s victory was a great deal for the segregated South, and not so much for the North. The North wasn’t as ridden of hate, prejudice, and racism as the South. In the North, Jim Crow laws were not common, because citizens living there treated everyone almost as an equal. The North didn’t have much of an affect due to Louis’s victory because people viewed Louis as a regular man. In

Muhammad Ali once said, "Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.” Muhammad Ali stood for the common black man, so did Jackie Robinson. Both of these men were professional athletes, two different sports, baseball and boxing, were changed forever because of these men. They both broke segregation barriers not only in their profession but also outside the field and ring. Both these men had some similarities but overall had more differences whether it was their profession, who they were influenced by, or their involvement with war.

Henry Clay was the first Speaker of the House that really helped to establish the position and increase the power. Clay served three terms as Speaker of the House and in those years demonstrated how his tactics were effective as well as successful. Henry Clay was personable, and his youth and assertiveness made him a popular choice for Speaker. Clay used his position to place his allies in important committees to achieve these goals. As Clay gained clout in the House of Representatives, he was able to introduce his American System and ideas founded in the American Colonization Society. Henry Clay’s greatest accomplishment as Speaker of the House was the drafting of the Missouri Compromise, which gained him the title of the Great

One source quoted, “The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement (Civil Rights Act).” This act proves that the government was trying to make America a place of equality to all human beings. From this background comes an amazing story about how Ali has fought for his religion.

Muhammad Ali’s Stand against the Vietnam War was a game changer for many people and shocked everyone, everywhere when word got out. This topic of Muhammad Ali V. the Vietnam War is relevant to the theme of “Taking a Stand”, because it showed that he was very courageous and also showed how much faith Ali had in the Nation of Islam to take a stand against not only the United States, but against the Vietnam War. The topic is important because it showed that if there 's a will, there 's a way and that you can take a stand against anything you want if you are determined enough, no matter the consequences. He stood up for himself and for his religion to show that the you can take a stand if you really believe that it is worth it and you a real reason.

Handsome, weight champion, muslim, freely spoken, racial rights leaders, all exemplifies the powerful Muhammad Ali. A man whose story has a positive impact on americans lives today and back during the civil rights movement. “Muhammed Ali: The World’s Champion” by John Tessitore is an autobiography that is written to tell all the obstacles of Muhammed Ali. The adventures annals of Muhammed Ali begins from growing up and discovering that boxing was his outlet from racism, to dropping out of school, to becoming muslim, also being the voice of the public people, to lastly being coming one of the most known African American Boxing world champion. Thousands world wide then and now see Muhammad Ali as an tragic hero due to his resistance of entering the war, going to jail, and returning back to the ring even more powerful than before.

Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777, in Hanover County, Virginia. He was raised in a modest middle classed home; he was one of the nine children born to Reverend John and Elizabeth Hudson Clay. His first link into his American history came at an early age when He was 3, he had watched the British soldiers ransack his family home. His political career had kicked off in 1803 when he was elected to the General Assembly in Kentucky. Voters were drawn toward Clay's Jeffersonian politics, which early on saw him push for a liberalization of the state's constitution. He also strongly opposed the Acts of 1798, which were known as the Alien as well as the Sedition. When Henry Clay was working as an attorney, it had brought a lot of great success as

People of all ages were gathered at Uncle Willie’s store to hear the most historical fight for the title of boxing world heavyweight champion, which the African American Joe Louis was part of, a fight that changed the way people saw African Americans and proved that they were as a strong as the white men. All the people gathered in the store had the same skin color and same purpose, they all wanted Joe Louis to become the boxing world champion, to prove wrong to the people whom tormented them and treat or considerate them less than humans beings.

George Dixon is a Canadian boxer commonly known as “Little Chocolate” or “The Chocolate Drop.” Dixon was the first black boxer to win a bantamweight world championship. Despite the hard times, segregation, and mistreatment of blacks during his boxing era; George Dixon managed to fight his way to being one of the most prominent black boxers. Little Chocolate’s boxing career was great winning almost double the amount of his losses. “Dixon is considered by many to be the best fighter of the 19th Century.” (Cox)

In “The Brown Bomber,” Gena Caponi-Tabery discuss the legendary boxer Joe Louis. She argues that Joe Louis was a symbol, for African-Americans, of hope and fulfillment in a world where those two things did not exist. She defends her thesis through an explanation of Joe Louis’ rise through the world of boxing and how he broke through as a celebratory figure overcoming widespread racism to gain the respect of most of his time, and how this began to slowly break barriers between races in America.

As a well known boxer, Ali was a public figure who gained a lot of attention from the media and was pressured by those closest to him to comply with the draft or else be imprisoned. Despite that, Ali proved himself to be someone who remains true to his convictions. As the induction took place, draftees including Ali wait for their names to be called in the induction room. Ali accords out his rejection by the call of his name. A military general gives the order “‘. . . you will please step forward and be inducted into the United States Army.’ Again I don’t move” (Ali 93). In the hands of Ali’s strong stand against the war, he became decisive and holds strong beliefs that constitute his personal protection from induction. Ali signifies denial of military service which he willingly rejects his position to be in the Army as “Again I don’t move.” The religious principles of his native country creates a sense that he supports the appropriate decisions he makes. Unfortunately, Ali may face the possible consequences of being imprisoned or to live in exile based on his disagreement with the war. As he acknowledges the importance of

According to History.com , Ali said “I ain't got no quarrel with those vietcong”. In 1964 Muhammed failed to pass the Armed Forces qualifying test because of his lack of writing and spelling skills. Later on in 1966 his test were revised and he was reclassified. He outlines misbeliefs as a reasons for not fighting in the war. The victorious boxer once said, “My inner self will not enable me to harm my fellow brothers ”.

The 1960s were a time of revolutionary ideas and new modes of expression. These new ways of thinking and speaking opened the door to major reforms of American society and culture. People were now standing up for what they believed in, for example, protesting against the mistreatment of African-Americans and refusing to follow the Military Selective Service Act, a law which forced men between the ages 18-26 to fight in the controversial Vietnam War (Youth Movement). Not everyone embraced this new attitude that contained a challenge to existing governmental authority. As an expert on the draft, Phillip MacFarlane wrote, “ Some critics decry the loss of the citizen-soldier as a threat to democracy”(MacFarlane). One prominent anti-war figure