Jesse Owens Thesis

“All I want is a chance to run,” said Jesse as the American Athletic Union was debating to attend the 1936 Berlin Olympics that Hitler was using as political propaganda for his Nazi party. Jesse Owens shocked the world with his record-breaking talent in track and field events. Berlin, Germany 1936 was a tense place to be with Hitler parading around his dominant Aryan Race in the face of the 83 countries that were attending. When Owens won four gold medals and the American anthem rang out while he stood on the victory stand he embarrassed Hitler in front of his whole country and put his dominant race to shame.

James Cleveland Owens was born on September 12, 1913. His parents were Henry and Emma Owens, his dad worked as a sharecropper and both his grandparents were slaves. His family was very poor but he was able to go to public school, his family could not afford equipment for other sports however, he found he enjoyed running. He helped as much as he could with his family’s finances and held many jobs. He worked by delivering groceries, loading freight cars and working in a shore repair shop. When he wasn’t working he was running. His family called him JC and he got the nickname Jesse when a teacher misheard him say J.C. and called him Jesse and it stuck. Coach Charlie Riley first noticed Jesse’s running talent in P.E. when he was timed for the 60-yard dash.

Once Hitler came to power he used all the resources of Germany and spend around 50 million dollars trying to turn the 1936 Olympics into the ideas and political aims for the Third Reich. The first day of the games Hitler congratulated the first place shot putter a German athlete. Hitler invited him to his private box for a handshake, he did this for the Finnish placers also. However, he would not shake the two black Americans who won high jump that day. (source