Jesse Owens Character Traits

“Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.” - Jesse Owens. Jesse Owens was an African American athlete that won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin during the Nazi regime. The 1936 Olympics was quite controversial because of the Nazi’s and their policies for minority groups like the Jews. It was so controversial that the United states nearly pulled out of the international spectacle. Germany wanted to use the Olympics to showcase their country. But Jesse Owens took much of the attention away due to his athletic display. Even with his legendary performance in Berlin, it didn’t change much of his status in the US as a black man. In the

Unfortunately, being diagnosed with a devastating disease in his 30’s, he had to step away from

Can you imagine embarrassing the infamous Adolf Hitler in front of the whole world? Jesse Owens did that in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It was not an easy road for him to get there, but he did it by putting enough effort and hard work forward. Jesse Owens was able to overcome racial judgment by surviving a poverty struck childhood, training hard in school, and by winning the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The two titles he is most known for is a minister and a Civil Rights activist. He has two names, one more known than the other. He was by far the most successful African American who ran for President until 2008 where Barack Obama won the First Black President. Can you guess who is? Another clue is that he is still alive. Who is he? Well, it is none other than Jesse Jackson. A man who is not only noteworthy and significant to American history , but Black history. Throughout this paper, a deeper understanding of Jesse Jackson will be discussed. Jesse Jackson's early life, education, accomplishments and contributions, and what he and his family are currently doing now.

There are many people in the world who have made an impact on America. Many people are known for their strength ,courage, and willingness to fight for their beliefs. That is what Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens have in common; they fought for what they believed in. They broke color barriers, set records, and changed American history. Although they bear some minor similarities, the differences between Jackie and Jesse are clear.

He carried that hard work and determination in high school where he became an All American in football at his school while breaking multiple records and maintaining an exceptionally good GPA of 3.5. He actually didn’t start running track until the age of 16 and also became an All American in track and holds the school record in the 400-meter dash. After high school, he was offered a chance to continue his track and football career at the Boise State University, where he received a full scholarship for track and football continued his outstanding athletic success and grades.

Jackie Robinson broke many barriers, creating a positive role model for young children and adults alike. Robinson was one of many talented black athletes, but he was just able to get the

presenting himself in front of America with a stand for black equality he showed the courage

well. He set school records in the 440 and the 880 (both of which have since been

Jesse Owens changed the world by matriculated in the Olympics and showing that everyone is different and better at things than other people. Starting with shaking Hitler's hand and the Gunshot of the run, he showed the world that every race is superior in many ways. In all of the events he competed he took first in and showed that race does not matter. Although, “Jesse Owens, who smoked up to a pack of cigarettes a day for a good deal of his life, died of lung cancer in Tucson, Arizona, on March 31, 1980” (History). When he was awarded the medals he showed the world that all blacks can compete in the olyimpics.

That day he won four events, set three world records, and he tied a fourth record all in forty-five minutes. He tied the world record by running the one hundred yard dash in nine point four-seconds. He then broke a world record by jumping twenty-six feet eight and one quarter inches in the long jump. Later, he finished the two hundred twenty yard dash in twenty point three-seconds for another world record. That same day, he broke a third world record by finishing the two hundred twenty yard low hurdle race in twenty-two point six seconds.(Shwartz 1) He was so outstanding at track and field, that during his junior year of college he won every single one of the forty-two events in which he competed. Three of those events were Olympic trials for the 1936 Olympics (“About Jesse Owens” 3) guarantying that he would be going to Berlin to compete for a medal.

Especially in the last 14 years of his life just his health just kept getting worse. Another problem he had was that in 1988 he needed brain surgery after he lost the ability to move his left arm. During that stay at the hospital the doctors found out that he had Aids. The doctors found out how he got Aids during his second heart surgery in 1983. Aids was something he kept a secret for most of his life.

The world record holder Jesse Owens digs his own starting blocks into the cinder track, Ready, Set, Go. Jesse sprints the 100 meters and gains one of four gold medals. Jesse Owens is one of the greatest track athletes that ever lived. He ran jumped and in his later career even won against horses. Many called him the fastest man alive. Although some may say Jesse Owens did not change America’s position on racism, he was an influential and controversial person because he made the American Dream and did what no one expected.

Few athletes have transcended their sports to become a symbol of an era as did Jesse Owens. Enduring a childhood marked by grinding poverty in Alabama, Owens became a star athlete in high school after his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. His achievements earned Owens several lucrative offers to attend college as a track-and-field athlete, and he enrolled at Ohio State University in 1933. On May 25, 1935, Owens made national headlines for setting five world records and tying another record at the Big Ten Intercollegiate Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Although many historians consider Owens's performance that day the greatest achievement by any track-and-field athlete

The Olympics, an event where the most physically fit push themselves to the extreme to win against other nations. In 1936, Adolph Hitler and the Nazis held the Olympics in Berlin, Germany. American athletes had a hard time deciding if they should travel to Berlin and take part in the Nazi Olympics. The Berlin Olympics was a personal issue for the American team, which included Jesse Owens. He wasn't sure that he should join the team because of the views that were expressed by the Nazis. Despite this, he had a lot to show the world.