Muhammad Ali Research Paper

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Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) the late internationally known boxer and activist was born January 17, 1942 in the deeply segregated city of Louisville, Kentucky. Ali had witnessed firsthand the deep hatred and injustice that African Americans faced in the United States. This intense racism was a part of what propelled Ali into becoming a civil rights advocate and Vietnam War protester. Ali’s protest was an enormous aid to getting athletes in the past, present, and future to participate in protests, regardless of the consequences. He also drew the power for his protest from pent up rage, disappointment, and lack of patience to wait on change to come. First and foremost is what power did Ali wield and where did he get this power from. Ali’s …show more content…

Col. J. Edwin McKee to step forward and sign up for induction but he refused. Ali was immediately arrested for refusing to fight in Vietnam, sentenced to 5 years in prison, given a 10,000 In a Sports Illustrated editorial, for example, Ali is called “a demagogue and an apologist for his so-called religion, and his views on Vietnam don’t deserve rebuttal (Remnick).” Also, David Susskind said, “he is a disgrace to his country (Remnick).” However, this negativity only made Ali even more persistent and exposed more reasons why he needed to keep …show more content…

This protest still involved Vietnam nonetheless, but was on the side of the Americans and Vietnamese people being killed for a senseless cause. Ali refused to support the government and often spoke against the government’s reasoning for the war in Vietnam. Ali once said, “I ain’t got no quarrel with the Vietcong (Remnick).” Quotes like this from Ali angered the opposition and bolstered the confidence of Anti-Vietnam protestors. Ali believed that taking up arms against the Vietnamese would make him a hypocrite and destroy his fight on the other front for civil rights in the United States. Also, when Ali was convicted of draft dodging he was stripped of all his titles, his license to box in New York State, and almost his

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