Muhammad Ali Research Paper

1050 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of media in the civil rights moevement

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) the late internationally known boxer and activist was born January 17, 1942 in the deeply segregated city of Louisville, Kentucky. Ali had witnessed firsthand the deep hatred and injustice that African Americans faced in the United States. This intense racism was a part of what propelled Ali into becoming a civil rights advocate and Vietnam War protester. Ali’s protest was an enormous aid to getting athletes in the past, present, and future to participate in protests, regardless of the consequences. He also drew the power for his protest from pent up rage, disappointment, and lack of patience to wait on change to come. First and foremost is what power did Ali wield and where did he get this power from. Ali’s …show more content…

Col. J. Edwin McKee to step forward and sign up for induction but he refused. Ali was immediately arrested for refusing to fight in Vietnam, sentenced to 5 years in prison, given a 10,000 In a Sports Illustrated editorial, for example, Ali is called “a demagogue and an apologist for his so-called religion, and his views on Vietnam don’t deserve rebuttal (Remnick).” Also, David Susskind said, “he is a disgrace to his country (Remnick).” However, this negativity only made Ali even more persistent and exposed more reasons why he needed to keep …show more content…

This protest still involved Vietnam nonetheless, but was on the side of the Americans and Vietnamese people being killed for a senseless cause. Ali refused to support the government and often spoke against the government’s reasoning for the war in Vietnam. Ali once said, “I ain’t got no quarrel with the Vietcong (Remnick).” Quotes like this from Ali angered the opposition and bolstered the confidence of Anti-Vietnam protestors. Ali believed that taking up arms against the Vietnamese would make him a hypocrite and destroy his fight on the other front for civil rights in the United States. Also, when Ali was convicted of draft dodging he was stripped of all his titles, his license to box in New York State, and almost his

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Gods Go Begging

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Vietnam, at least in Jesse’s company, men of all races are able to cohabitate peacefully, and then when they return home, they face prejudice once again. They are forced to fight a war in Vietnam against communist ideology while also fighting a war back home against racism. Splitting ones’ army is almost always a recipe for disaster as Amos points out, but as the U.S. went into war right as the Civil Rights movement was beginning to gain traction, the men had no choice. The indignities that they faced at home, at the hands of the very men they died to save, make killing Vietnamese soldiers under the directions of their own leaders, all the more difficult. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death results in the most direct quote we see about the two pronged war: “Why the fuck am I shooting at zips? They ain 't never did me no wrong, never called me nigger. I should be at home shooting at the man, shooting at the Klan ” (Vea 134) This message is not uttered by one individual but by the African American men in combat as a whole. They are not at all committed to the Vietnam War, but are still stuck fighting there, unable to fight for their own rights at

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, And Wilma Rudolph

    1700 Words  | 4 Pages

    history in the 1950's and 1960's by hitting the society. Ali was a great boxer who was very confident in his boxing game. Ali wanted to make a change in society by trying to get rid of the racial discrimination in America. Ali was also against the war in Vietnam. Ali said “Unless you have a very good reason to kill, war is wrong.” Ali sent messages of hope to the African American community by telling them to have pride. Ali said “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people while so called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?” Ali said “The Vietnamese had nothing against him” (Schwartz).When he was drafted to fight in the war, a lieutenant called Ali by his real name, Cassius Clay, and he said, “Sir that isn't my name, my name is “MUHAMMAD ALI!” Ali said, again “Sir that is a slave name my name is “MUHAMMAD ALI” (Muhammad Ali [HH:MM:SS]). After that, Ali refused to serve in the Vietnam War. This lead Ali to the Supreme Court, and he was five years in imprisonment. Ali was precluded from the athletic commissions for fighting in the United States for three and a half years. Even though Ali was released from his five year sentence, he still had a jail sentence of four years, which was overturned by the Supreme Court (Schwartz). Ali was also stripped of the heavyweight boxing title because he refused to serve in the draft Following his suspension, Ali reclaimed

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali Analysis

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    As soon as Muhammad Ali was notified, upset, he declared that he would refuse to serve in the Army and told everyone himself a conscientious objector. He came out saying that the war is against the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and that he was not trying to dodge the draft. He claimed that due to his religion, Muslim, he is not supposed to take part in no wars unless the war has been declared by the Muslim God Allah. With his in mind, Muhammad Ali refused to step forward the first time when his name was called. Due to this he was ultimately committing a felony that was punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000 maximum. For not coming forward a second time Muhammad Ali was ultimately arrested. On the same day following

    Read More

  • John F Kennedy Inaugural Address Ethos Pathos Logos

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the Vietnam War was heating up, he tried his very best to keep his words very straightforward and honest. He used pathos in his speech through the usage of the phrases, “a celebration of freedom,” and, “forge against these enemies.” By using these phrases, instead of making the war a task for the people, he made it out as saving the country for the people and for their kids. It wasn’t just a "go and fight," but more of a "go, win, and when you come back enjoy what you have accomplished. " Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country.”

    Read More

  • Symbols Of Jackie Jackson And Jackie Robinson Vs. Cassius Clay

    1875 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ali proved to be a strong-willed individual that did leave a huge impact on America, but what impact had increased as time continued and his faults have been somewhat forgotten. Those believing that Muhammad was more of a hero than Jackie Robinson most likely feel that Ali’s action of standing up against the United States government, when he was drafted, was an act of courage and bravery. The main reason why Ali didn 't wish to go to war in Vietnam was because he believed he shouldn 't be fighting for a country that ultimately didn 't support his own people within its own borders. Ali has developed into a figure of courage after the time that his happened. In the 1960s when this originally happened, Ali had more enemies as a result of his religious and social views and ideas than fans. Today we see that what he did may be considered heroic, but back when it actually occurred, Ali was seen as a nuisance to America. He was spreading word and influencing people to act against their own country in a time of war. Since Muhammad Ali’s retirement from boxing the course of time has faded criticism of Ali and left mostly just the positive parts of his life and career. As a society we’ve buried the controversial side of Ali’s existence in our minds and history simply remembers his greatness as an athlete. Robinson had an impact on

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War: Power Of The Protests

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Going through high school I remember talking with my friends about the Vietnam War. I had the friends who were gung-ho for the war, and I had friends who, like myself, felt the Vietnam War was unnecessary and not worth fighting for. I remember back in 1967 hearing about the protestors at the Lincoln memorial. Over 100 thousand protestors were there, and I remember thinking how great it was that so many people had the courage to march up to leaders in D.C. and voice their frustration. Then there was my father who said how all those protestors were un-American. I guess I could not blame him, he fought in World War II and served his country with honor, taking great pride in that. To me though, war is not always the answer. That’s where the difference was between people at the time, you either were fully supportive of American involvement in Vietnam, or you were opposed to it, I do not remember much in between. As for me, I could not support the Vietnam War” (Lalonde). The protests of the Vietnam War were opportunities for disgruntled Americans against the war to make their voices known, speak out against the injustice of the draft, while also helping to contribute to the end of the war and being a beneficial spark to an end of the draft.

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali the Hero

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    At first, Muhammad Ali had no intension of boxing. After his bike was stolen, in the month of October 1954, when he was twelve, his whole life was set. Upon finding out that there was a police officer in the basement of a gym, Ali went down to the officer in a shocked state of mind demanding a "state wide bike hunt" for hsi stolen bicycle. But all the cop told him to do was to learn to fight. and that

    Read More

  • How did Americans React to the Vietnam War?

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Vietnam War led to what is currently the largest anti-war movement in American history (Skarda 4; Dunn). With over 500,000 participants, the protesters in the fall of 1969 all marched on Washington to show their opposition to the war (Skarda 4; Herbers). Protests got so vast and expansive that the FBI got involved (Miller). The FBI went as far as forging a letter to the newspaper as a “parent” who complained of “immoral character” (Miller). This incited many prestigious and well known people to step in and voice their anti-war statements and opinions, such as the speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence” by Martin Luther King Jr (King Jr). In this speech it's clear Martin Luther King Jr. did not support the war, as he called it immoral and said that it only leads to a growth in hatred (King Jr).

    Read More

  • Sports and Politics

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who used politics in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights movement and protest the war. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame for humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title. He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racial barriers.

    Read More

  • Fortunate Son Analysis

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    The song “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival is a great song during the Vietnam War era. The meaning of this song is about someone not wanting to go to then war and some of the lines in the song represent that. The line “Some folks are born made to wave the flag they’re red white and blue,” then it goes “it ain’t me, it ain’t me” this is definitely saying he does want to go to war. Muhammad Ali was one man that didn’t want to go to war, at the peak of the war which was March 9, 1966 he was drafted. The reason he didn’t want to go to the war was the fact he didn’t want to kill poor and hungry people in Vietnam.

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    Muhammad Ali, whose birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay, was born in Louisville, Kentucky January 17, 1942. He was named for a white, Kentucky abolitionist, Cassius M. Clay, and received the name Marcellus from his father’s name. Ali’s father, Marcellus Clay was a mural painter who did a lot of work for many churches in the community and his mother Odessa (Grady) Clay was a domestic worker. As a young boy, Cassius Clay was full of energy and carried a loud mouth wherever he went. One day when Ali discovered that someone stole his bicycle, he became enraged and made loud threatening comments by exclaiming that he would “whup whoever stole it.” Upon hearing these threats, Louisville police officer Joe Martin persuaded Ali to take out his frustration in the boxing ring rather than on the dangerous streets of Louisville. At age 12, Ali’s boxing career had officially begun.

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali: Story Of Persecution And Perseverance

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever heard “float like a butterfly! Sting like a bee! Rumble young man, rumble!” That famous line was said by the one and only Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was arguably the best boxer in the 1960s and 1970s. But before the fame he was just another kid Louisville kid with big dreams. Cassius Clay was born in Louisville on January 17, 1942. Louisville was one of the segregated states in the south. Life growing up was difficult because getting jobs and doing a lot of other simple tasks such as getting food were difficult for blacks. Muhammad Ali taught us to stand up for ourselves when we feel mistreated.

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. later known as Muhammad Ali, was a black boxer, and was proud of it. Many African Americans were ashamed of their color, but Ali was different. He was the first boxer to win the Heavyweight Championship 3 different times. He had a great personality and was liked by the people. During his life, he made big decisions that changed the course of his life completely. Muhammad Ali's journey through life was a great inspiration for African American people, but Ali himself deserves the admiration of everyone.

    Read More

  • Informative Speech On Muhammad Ali

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was fearless. He was powerful. His footwork was more beautiful than a ballet dancer. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist. He is the G.O.A.T of boxing. He is… Muhammad Ali. I will inform you about the biography of Muhammad Ali of how people saw him in real life, the Movie Ali how it portrayed Muhammad Ali based on his life through screen write, and the Vietnam War. Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest athletes in boxing history, but before there was the Greatest of All Time or the acronym G.O.A.T World Heavy Champion Muhammad Ali, he was just a little kid that went by the name Cassius Clay.

    Read More

  • Sports and Politics

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who voiced his political ideologies in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and protest the War. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame to project his humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title . He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racia...

    Read More

More about Muhammad Ali Research Paper

Open Document