The Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany on August 9th was the start of an unexpected event in history. In only 70 minutes, 22 year-old James “Jesse” Owens won four gold medals in the Olympic games, breaking and tying the records of former Olympians left and right. The amazing athlete competed in the 100 m, 200 meter, 4 times 100 meter, and long jump for the U.S. team, winning every event. This rare event helped to score a political victory for the United States and a moral victory for black people worldwide, but not everyone was happy with Jesse’s success (Jesse Owens. Discovering Multicultural America). Adolf Hitler, the man who paid for the Berlin Olympics solely to prove the supremacy of the Aryan race, was furious. After Jesse’s last race,
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He started his life out in Oakville, Alabama in the year of 1913. He was a sickly child, often too frail to help his father and brothers in the fields (Jesse Owens. Encyclopedia of World Biography). The family later moved to Ohio where Jesse’s life started to improve, especially on the track. In junior high school, he was able to set a new record for the 100 meter dash and during high school, he won the 100-yard dash, the 200-yard dash, and the broad jump in the National Interscholastic Championships (Jesse Owens. Encyclopedia of World Biography). Offer after offer came Jesse’s way, but he didn’t believe college would be an option for him because he had a young wife and struggling family to take care of and was already working three jobs. It wasn’t until two years later when he participated in the University of Michigan’s track meet, and swept the competition, was he discovered again. A year later he was competing with the U.S. Olympic team (Jesse Owens. Encyclopedia of World Biography). This was a huge break for Owens and he later became very successful and a huge role model for people throughout the Civil Rights Movement. After Jesse’s death in 1980, he was still remembered and admired by many, even receiving a Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush in 1990. During the ceremony, President Bush called Owens "an Olympic hero and an American hero every day of his life (Jesse
He started his life out in Oakville, Alabama in the year of 1913. He was a sickly child, often too frail to help his father and brothers in the fields (Jesse Owens. Encyclopedia of World Biography). The family later moved to Ohio where Jesse’s life started to improve, especially on the track. In junior high school, he was able to set a new record for the 100 meter dash and during high school, he won the 100-yard dash, the 200-yard dash, and the broad jump in the National Interscholastic Championships (Jesse Owens. Encyclopedia of World Biography). Offer after offer came Jesse’s way, but he didn’t believe college would be an option for him because he had a young wife and struggling family to take care of and was already working three jobs. It wasn’t until two years later when he participated in the University of Michigan’s track meet, and swept the competition, was he discovered again. A year later he was competing with the U.S. Olympic team (Jesse Owens. Encyclopedia of World Biography). This was a huge break for Owens and he later became very successful and a huge role model for people throughout the Civil Rights Movement. After Jesse’s death in 1980, he was still remembered and admired by many, even receiving a Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush in 1990. During the ceremony, President Bush called Owens "an Olympic hero and an American hero every day of his life (Jesse