Jesse Owens's Argumentative Essay

As a young child, I can remember learning about Jesse Owens. As a runner myself, I cannot help but admire the fact he left Nazi Germany with four Olympic gold medals. Many people only hear of Jesse Owens’s athletic accomplishments; few people hear of the obstacles he faced during and after his Olympic career. If I had the chance to speak with Mr. Owens, I would ask him about how he decided to go to Germany despite the danger and how he was treated when he returned to America. The 1936 Olympics were held in Germany during the reign of Adolf Hitler and his belief of Aryan supremacy. The NAACP secretary, Walter White, believed Owens should not go to the Olympics because he thought it would appear as if Owens was promoting a racist regime even though he had already suffered at the hands of racists in his own country. I can …show more content…
However, when he returned to America, segregation and racial discrimination was very much alive. After a Manhattan parade, Mr. Owens could not enter the front doors to a reception that honored him. Despite winning four gold medals, he faced the same poor treatment as the rest of his fellow African Americans in the land of the free. Many would think after bringing such honor to this country, he would be treated with the respect he earned during those Olympics. I would like to know how he thought he should have been treated. He might say he wanted to be treated as an equal. He may have not wanted to be treated like the way Olympians are treated today, but I feel sure that all he wanted was to be looked the same way white Americans were looked at. While discussing his treatment, I would ask if he thought things would be different when he came home or if he knew everything would be the same. It would not be a surprise to hear him say he hoped there had been a change when he returned. Although, Mr. Owens might say he knew deep down that America would still see him as just another black