Jesse Owens Essay

Jim Thorpe was an American Athlete who performed during the early 1900’s. At a young age he picked up track and field and eventually other sports like baseball and football and excelled in all of them. He gained worldwide attention because of his amazing talent in every sport he picked up and also because of his race being Native American, which was rare to see in professional sports. His two best sports were Football and Track and field which he won many awards in. He then got into the acting business which made him even more popular and respected throughout the US and even the world. From being told he is the best athlete in the world by a king, to being the president of what is now the NFL, Jim Thorpe changed America culturally because of his athletic career, his ability to persuade people not to discriminate

He had many a very successful career and been awarded with many awards and honor. All the awards and honor that was given to him was because he won races like clasica de san sebastian, best male athlete aspy three years in a row, kids choice award for favorite athlete. But all of this honor and awards that was given to him was not deserved. Cause he had to cheat his way into glory and honor by doping to be the best. I don't think he deserves any of these awards because he cheated his way to the top when other athletes tried and didn't

“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

from Harvard and obtain his doctorate, and his dissertation, The Suppression of the African Slave

He was a child with a glum future. Him being in track and running, let him know what he was capable of doing. Louie built up self esteem through track. He left a mark on World record and NCAA record times. He was able to travel the world. Louie got to visit Germany, before the Third Reich reign. He traveled the pacific while on duty. Something most people did not get the chance. Even though he was risking his life while traveling. Louie got the privilege of being a torchbearer in the 1984 Olympics and 1998 Winter Olympics. Louie lived an incredible

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 attended the University of California (first to earn varsity letters in 4 sports) however due to financial needs he did not earn his degree.

     He was not the first black player in the major league baseball; neither was he the first black star athlete. Words cannot describe what he brought to the game of baseball and the rest of America. His success in baseball proved that blacks and white can coexist, and corporate well together. His importance to the public was more then just playing baseball.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson has influenced many people facing adversity as an African American who played sports in his era. His accomplishments and achievements had played an important role in his time and ours, because it paved the way for others colored races to be accepted in leagues that were primarily white dominant. Jackie Robinson’s influential challenges has given other African American athletes the courage to keep playing despite being segregated. He has given hope into any athlete who has the courage and will to play their sports. Jackie Robinson is an influential baseball player and has impacted the black community.

Jim Thorpe is debatably the best athlete of the 20th century. He was born on May 28th, 1887. Jim's mother had a pair of twin sisters before Jim was born. Unfortunately, they both passed away while they were babies. “He was born to Hiram Thorpe, a farmer, and Mary James, a Pottawatomie Indian and descendant of the last great Sauk and Fox chief Black Hawk, a noted warrior and athlete. Jim was actually born a twin, but his brother Charlie died at the age of nine. His Indian name, Wa-Tho-Huk, translated to “Bright Path,” something that Thorpe definitely had ahead of him.” (CMG Worldwide) Because Jim was born in Indian territory, he learned to hunt and trap animals which helped him develop his amazing endurance. When Jim was six, he was forced to

Before I begin to talk about Arthur Ashe, I feel that it would be appropriate to talk about what was going on around the world at the time. One of the reasons why Arthur Ashe was famous was because he was African American and in that time period, americans found themselves question the ideals of the country. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence "that all men are created equal", yet africans were segregated from everything; from schools to water fountains. Africans were treated like second class citizens even though many of them have brought fame and honor to the country. Many black athletes would go on to shock the world, including Jesse Owens who would win four gold medals in the 1936 in Nazi Germany Olympics, and Jackie Robinson who became the first major league african american baseball player. Among these famous players was Arthur Robert Ashe Jr.

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

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.

Adolph Hitler opened the Eleventh Olympiad on August 1, 1936. His arrival was announced by a fanfare directed by the famous composer Richard Strauss to the mostly German spectators. Establishing a new Olympic tradition, a lone runner carried a flame which traveled by relays of runners from the site of the original ancient Games in Olympia, Greece (16)

Some might say Jesse Owens is not controversial because he did not change the racism in America. Jesse Owens said “When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn't ride in the front of the bus," Owens said. "I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either." This quote may be true, but Jesse Owens was influential and was an example that it does not matter the ethnicity or nationality, a hero is a hero.