Papa Jack

Jack Johnson entitled his autobiography “Jack Johnson is a Dandy”. After reading Tony Al-GIlmore’s Ba-ad Nigger!, the autobiography title is all the explanation one needs. If Al-Gilmore was trying to paint a rosy picture of an African American savior, then he did not succeed. Not that his book was a negative portrayal of Johnson. Rather, he laid out the facts and let the reader form his own opinion. Aiding this were the articles from both black and white newspapers that he used as sources for his paper. While the book 's title suggests it is a story of Jack Johnson 's great boxing career, it turns out to be about the society’s acceptance, or lack thereof, of him.

Rhoden uses different writing techniques to get the reader to view black sports history from different perspectives. Throughout the reading, readers are learning that the history isn’t so much inspirational as much as a struggle and wants to focus on the victories as much as they focused on the defeats. This book seeks to tell the story of the rise and fall of the black athlete, but also to point the way toward redemption. The novel is driven by the purpose of finding light and bringing real power to the African American athletes. The history lessons imbedded in the 40 Million Dollar Slaves interlace the ropes of innovation and conflicts that today define sports today.

Tommy Burns was the new heavy weight champion and like Jefferies, he to was denying Johnson a shot at the title. This time Johnson was not having it. He followed Burns for two years from San Francisco to New York from Paris to London, mocking him to fight him. Burns would just state that Johnson was yellow, eventually it was said that King Henry himself called Burns a bluffer, I guess this got to Burns for in the end he agreed to fight Johnson for 30,000 dollars win, lose, or draw. This

During a time when blacks were considered less than equals to whites, Jack Johnson refused to be oppressed by racist America. He was both unafraid and uncompromising. He went wherever he chose, did whatever he wanted, and controversially had sexual relations with whichever race of women he wanted.

Johnson very skillfully compliments the Negro man and then tells him, he has no right to think of himself as above any other race. She describes several different ways in her poem that a Negro could be arrogant in Harlem, but he is still not respected by himself or other cultures. She also alludes in her poem that the Negros in Harlem need to accept who they are and do not have to be like white people to be considered equal.

The Whitechapel Murders and those of Jack the Ripper are not generally one and the same. Over a period of three years towards the end of the nineteenth century a number of prostitutes were murdered under different circumstances – the murder of prostitutes was not an especially unique occurrence during those times but several of the murders drew particular attention on account of the savagery with which the victim's bodies were mutilated. Within the Whitechapel Murders was a cluster of murders that demonstrated sufficient similarities as to suggest that they were committed by the same person. One of the first instances of serial murder was thus identified and sensationalised in the media as the work of ‘Jack the Ripper', nicknamed on the

Also, as governor, Bennett may have helped to look after the Johnson’s “legal and economic interests” as well. By acquiring his estate, it enabled Johnson to have a constant source of income and therefore help the local community with it’s economy similarly. This relationship between he and the community came to help him when later his estate nearly burned down entirely. The court of Northampton treated him very well in helping them get through the disaster. He was treated just as any white man in Johnson’s position would have been. This example alone shows how merely owning property and giving back to the local community was a priority in establishing respect among people of the Northampton area; his skin color did not matter.

amounts of money presented major obstacles, Jack Johnson tells the story himself in his autobiography “My Life and Battles,” finally moved up in rankings and eventually became the Colored Heavyweight champion in 1903, by defeating “Denver” Ed Martin February 3, 1903. (Jack Johnson 36-38, Roberts 28-29). Meanwhile, the heavyweight champion at this time was James Jeffries, who would continue the racist tradition of keeping the title within the White race by refusing to fight any boxer of color. (Roberts 17-19). Subsequent white champions also drew the color line, until after more than three years of stalking the new champion Tommy Burns around the world, Johnson finally received his opportunity to capture the Heavyweight crown. (Johnson 68). Memorable and historic, on December 26, 1908 Johnson easily pummeled Burns, mercifully the fight was stopped in the fourteenth round by policemen, and the filming of the fight was ordered to be stopped fearful of exposing the myth of White supremacy throughout the globe. (Runstedtler 56-62). Of larger concern that the film would encourage the Black community to seek equality in other societal matters the government banned the transport of fight films across state lines. The impetus to censure Johnson’s victory led to a government regulation of the content of all films as noted in the article, Fighting films: race, morality, and the governing of cinema, 1912-1915. (Lee Grieveson, Farr131-34). Triumphal, Jack Johnson had enduringly achieved

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.

People are judged through their actions and characteristics, but racism can easily blur a person’s perspective. In Almost Free: A Story About Family and Race in Antebellum Virginia, Samuel Johnson, a former slave, fights for his freedom with the help of influential white friends he made throughout his life. Eventually he buys his freedom and petitions the court to stay in Virginia, where his family resides. Even after emancipated, he works hard to free his family and petitions the court in their cause. Despite his relationships, family values, and law abiding, Samuel Johnson’s skin color ultimately acts as boundary in his Virginia society.

The author, Randy Roberts in his article “Jack Johnson wins the Heavyweight Championship” sheds light on the fight of Jack Johnson with Tommy Burns, he highlights the racial attitude in the twentieth century. Roberts opens his article by mentioning about the concerned whites, as the author proceeds, according to the whites it was a tragic and saddest day of their lives as the race won. While Dixie was agitated, firstly because of the Booker T. Washington dined at the White House and secondly was the victory of Jack Johnson. However, the blacks rejoiced all over the United States with this news. Roberts mentions about a journalist report, it stated that the genuine satisfaction the blacks experienced with the single victory of Johnson was not been observed in forty years.

The article begins with a brief biography of President Johnson, who although, never attended school, had a skill for public speaking, which led him to politics and in Lincoln taking notice of him. In December 1865, the Radical Republicans (a foe of Johnson), gained control after Congress denied the southerners representatives seats. By April of 1866, Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act in response to the Black Codes, leading to power struggles and name calling between Congress and President Johnson. Congress also over-rode some of Johnson’s vetoes, further limiting his power. As Johnson got further out of control, a special committee voted to impeach him on the grounds of “high crimes and misdemeanors” (History.com). After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that perhaps Johnson was a ‘southern sympathizer’ who indeed deserved impeachment.

I see when I look at the history of Anthony Johnson that the hope for freedom of black people at the time wasn’t as grave as I would have thought. Anthony Johnson was

color of their skin. The boxers in the ring wailed at each other, not knowing

The documentary, “Unforgivable Blackness” directed by Ken Burns casts light on the extraordinary life story of legendary boxer Jack Johnson. The documentary is about the barriers Jack Johnson had to overcome to satisfy his hunger for becoming the best and living “The American Dream.” Johnson had humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas and it was in those beginnings that glimpses of his bright future were slowly but surely beginning to show. Through out his life, he showed independence, relentlessness, ability to improvise, call attention to himself and get around rules meaning to tie him down. Jack Johnson was a self made man who had the drive to go forward and achieve what he wanted to achieve