As a son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, Jesse...

As a son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, Jesse Owens created History in 1936 when he achieved what no athlete had done before: four Olympic Gold Medals. (jesseowens.com). During this era, the United States had limited civil rights and was approaching a World War with Hitler rising into power in Germany. Although Owens was victorious on the track, because of the color of his skin, He was looked down upon and unrecognized by even his own country. Through the excessive racism, one may ask how Owens moved forward and dealt with such negativity in a situation that should have been celebrated. Henry and Emma Alexander Owens gave birth to James Cleveland Owens on September 12, 1913 in Alabama (www.jesseowens.com). At the age of nine,†¦show more content†¦Despite such success, Owens did not have the privilege to the luxuries of his fellow white teammates. Owens had to stay in â€Å"black-only† hotels and restaurants. And although he deserved it, he was not offered any scholarships because he was Black and therefore was forced to work part time in order to pay for his education. On May 25th, 1935 Jesse Owens set three world records in a span of forty-five minutes at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor(www.jesseowens.com). Despite his sore back that day, he achieved a 9.4 second victory in the 100-meter dash, long jumped 26 ft. 8  ¼ inches, sprinted at 20.3 seconds on the 220-meter sprint, and succeeded in the 220-yard low hurdles at 22.6 seconds. Owens’s achievement stands as perhaps the best single-day accomplishment of any track-and-field athlete history. Because of such great success, Owens entered the 1936 Olympics that were to be held in Berlin, Germany. Hitler was rising into power in Germany and it is said that he tried to use the Olympics in order to show the world a resurgent Germany (www.jesse-owens.org). Nazi propaganda promoted concepts of â€Å"Aryan racial superiority† and depicted Africans as inferior. Hitler wanted the entire world to believe that the Aryan people were a dominant race. Owens had different plans, as he achieved four victories during the Track and field Olympics. On August 3rd Owens won the 100-meter dash at 10.35 seconds against RalphShow MoreRelatedSAT Top 30 Essay Evidence18536 Words   |  75 PagesHamilton (Young surfer and shark-attack survivor)................................................................... 21 Billie Jean King (Tennis legend and women’s rights activist) ................................................................. 23 Jesse Owens (Track star and civil rights icon).......................................................................................... 25 Muhammad Ali (â€Å"The Greatest† boxer of all time) ...................................................................