Joe Louis was the greatest boxer of his time; he was loved by many whites and African-Americans were thankful for him because he fought against racism. Louis stood up against segregation; he would not sit on a segregated bus, and he worked towards integrating baseball and football on camp grounds. Joe Louis let young African-American boys know that they can have a bright future too. Joe Louis did not grow up wealthy he had to get there by his own hard work and will.
Joseph Louis Barrow was born on May 13, 1914 in Lafayette, Alabama. He was born to Munn Barrow, a sharecropper, and Lily Reese. “After teachers told Louis’s parents that their son would have to make a living with his hands”, he went to Bronson Trade School for carpentry (“Joe Louis”, American Decades 1). Money was scarce, the children slept three to a bed and young Joe walked barefoot to school. Joe was one of eight children. When Joe Louis was two, his father was committed to a mental institution. “Two years later the family was told that Munn had died”, but in 1938 it was discovered that he was still alive (“Joe Louis”, American Decades 1). Later, he realized that he was a good enough boxer so he put all of his time into boxing. He won the National Light Heavy-Weight amateur crown of the Golden Gloves in 1933 when he was 19 years old. He would later realize he could go pro.
Joe Louis turned professional on July 4, 1934. “Louis is widely regarded as the greatest fighter in the history of boxing”, he was known as the “Brown Bomber” and was heavy-weight champion for nearly twelve years (“Joe Louis”, American Decades 1). He defended his championship title twenty-five times, twenty-one which were won by knockout. On June 19, 1936 Joe Louis suffered his first professiona...
... middle of paper ...
...was beloved by the white and blacks for his bravery (“Joe Louis”, American Decades 4). Joe Louis left a great legacy behind him, as well as many memories for people to tell.
Works Cited
Appel, Jacob M. “Louis, Joe (1914-1981).” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Penderast. Vol. 3, Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 200-201. Student Resources In Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
“Boxing in the 1930s.” DISCovering U.S. History. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources In Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
“ Joe Louis.” American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Student Resources In Context. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
“Joe Louis.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit :Gale, 1998.Student Resources In Context. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
“Joe Louis.” UXL Biographies. Detroit: U*X*L, 2003. Student Resources In Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Randy Roberts, author of the 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. Dixie was agitated, firstly, because Booker T. Washington dined at the White House and, secondly, the victory of Jack Johnson. However, 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 being observed in forty years.
Benson, Alvin K. “Bo Jackson.” The Eighties in America. Ed. Berman Milton. 3 vols. Salem Press,
"Emmett Till." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 6: 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Perry, Bruce. Malcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America. Barrytown, NY: Station Hill, 1991. Print.
Peter, G. (2013). THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MALCOLM X. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
According to Jim Foglio, the main author of "Beyond the Golden Smile: Jack Johnson and Class", a history teacher and Education at the community college of Aurora and Metropolitan State university of Denver, the white race was protecting their masculinity by preventing any colored person from being the heavyweight champion. But, Jack Johnson refused to be discriminated against. He fought all the black boxers as well as the white boxers and went as far as achieving the heavyweight championship . Jack Johnson broke the color line in sports in the twentieth century. Boxing history has transcended social structure, sports culture and racial inequality. The article, “Jack: Great Moments in Black History No.VIII” is important to history and present day because it assures racial equality, hope to people of color to achieve the American dream and establish a sense of equality in the sports
Malcolm X. “Nightmare.” Intersections: An Introduction to the Liberal Arts. Ed. Peggy Fitch. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2011. 90-99. Print.
...mined man, Martin Luther King was by far the most influential person in American history. He was fearless and fought for equal rights through speeches, marches and protests. He knew that his strong attitude and opinion on civil rights would cause many people to dislike him, but he didn’t care and continued to fight for African American rights. He has affected my life as well as the life my future children will live. I don’t live in a world of segregation and I’m not treated any differently than a white person because of his braveness to speak out. I am allowed to eat in the same restaurants, use the same public water fountains and bathrooms, ride the same buses and go to the same schools as a white person. If it wasn’t for him, that might not have been possible. His actions showed that one person can impact the country with a lot of effort and a humble attitude.
...3,12 Howard-Pitney, David, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004,125.3 "Freedom Riders." American Experience. PBS. (2010) Week 7 Documents, Oregon State University, Department of History, Corvallis, OR HST 203.
...le. He worked through the struggles and difficulties to make sure that his goals were accomplished. The actions he took allowed African Americans to gather hope and lead a change in our world.
Wiggins, David Kenneth, and Patrick B. Miller. 2003. The unlevel playing field: a documentary history of the African American experience in sport. Urbana: University of Illinois Press
When prominent boxers of the 20th century are discussed, many heavyweight champions are mentioned. Names like Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier always find their way to the front of the conversation. But it is Muhammad Ali, a three-time heavyweight champion and political activist, who always seems to find the forefront of it all. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, Ali came into the ring after his bike was stolen at the age of twelve. He brought up his anger to Officer Joe Elsby Martin Sr. who suggested he start boxing. Ali quickly became a star after winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. At 6’3”, Ali demonstrated extraordinary speed and accuracy and he quickly became a contender for the heavyweight title.
Muhammad Ali started off as Cassius Clay of Louisville who goes to a local store in search of merchandise and leaves his bike sitting unchained outside of the store. When he comes back the bike is gone and Clay is furious. He hunts for the nearest police officer in hopes of getting his bike back somehow, but the police officer could not help him and Clays vow to beat up the culprit (Ezra 7). Clay ironically took up boxing several months after the ruling of the Brown v. Board of Education court case. The story of Clay meeting Joe Martin is one of the defining moments in the man that would become Ali’s boxing career (Ezra 7). Without that moment in history you can validly argue that Muhammad Ali might have never became the legend that we know today.
Haley, Alex and Malcolm X. “Saved.” Reading and Writing the College Experience. Huron Valley Publishing: Ypsilanti, 2003. 203 – 214.