African American Games In Berlin

Summer Olympic Games in Berlin

Even when there were people that did not like the African Americans reaching success, that never stopped them from doing so. In the Olympic games African Americans did not get any respect from some people. African Americans had to step up and prove that they can things just like everyone else or even better. The Summer Olympics in Berlin were controversial because of their location, the presence of African American athletes, and Germany’s superior mentality.

Summer Olympic Games in Berlin’s background shows where the Berlin games were associated with for to happen at this time. It was said that “The modern games were held every four years, beginning with the first, in Athens, Greece, in 1896” (Modern Olympics).

For they are known as successful athletes for a reason. Jesse Owens was a very popular African American athlete during the Olympic Games. “Jesse Owens sealed his place in the Olympic history by becoming the most successful athlete of the 1936 games. He became the first American athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and long jump that stood unbroken for 48 years”(1936 Olympics). Jesse Owens became very popular at this time. He changed things only by his actions. Cornelius Johnson, a teammate with Jesse Owens, do extraordinary things. “Cornelius Johnson placed fourth in high jump when he earned a spot on the track team for the 1932 Los Angeles Games as a high school student at age eighteen. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he became the first African American athlete to win a gold medal at the Berlin games” (Bachrach 97). For Cornelius Johnson to be the very first African American to win a gold Olympic medal, he began the revolution for African Americans. He made it possible that African Americans can be successful. This can be disbelieving to others to see African Americans to be so