Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens — page 1 — chapter 1 Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 bce For hundreds of years many of the main events were track and field sports Sprints long jumps and the marathon are examples of track and field sports Track and field competitions like those at the ancient Olympics are still part of the modern games Today we gather around our televisions and computers to watch the Olympics Track stars such as Usain Bolt and Mo Farah amaze us with record-breaking speed But more than 75 years ago a man named Jesse Owens ran the races of his life at the 1936 Olympics The 1930s were a time of difficulty for American people The Great Depression had left most Americans poor and jobless Severe drought made farming almost impossible Many banks 4 21st century skills library

Jesse Owens — page 2 — Jobless Americans were forced to stand in line for basic items like bread and milk during the Great Depression closed and some people lost what little money they had Americans had to stand in free-food lines to feed their families President Franklin D Roosevelt promised to help Americans recover with his New Deal programs He planned to create many new jobs Life was even more challenging for African Americans Segregation and racism limited their rights and made it hard for them to get jobs Local and state laws known as Jim Crow laws meant that black Americans had separate schools bathrooms and even water fountains Business owners did not 5 Sports Unite Us Photo Caption

Jesse Owens — page 3 — Adolf Hitler oversaw the opening of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin Germany have to hire African Americans according to Jim Crow laws Hotels and restaurants could refuse to serve black people White Americans discriminated against black Americans and often mistreated them Across the ocean in Germany lived a man named Adolf Hitler Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party He was also practicing discrimination Hitler believed that white people were better than all other races He especially disliked black and Jewish people The German government closed black and Jewish-owned businesses They were also not allowed to use public trains and 6 21st century skills library

Jesse Owens — page 4 — buses Jews and blacks could only go to certain stores and live in certain neighborhoods Many blacks and Jews left Germany during this time The 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin Germany Runners carried the Olympic torch from Greece to the opening ceremony of the Olympics for the first time The 1936 Olympics were also the first to be shown on television Germans thought of sports as a way to show strength and power Hitler wanted the Olympic Games to prove that the white race was better stronger and faster than other races Hitler was not prepared for the speed of Jesse Owens Plessy v Ferguson Jim Crow laws were only enforced in certain states at first In 1892 a man who was part African American refused to get off of an all-white train car in Louisiana His name was Homer Plessy He was arrested and his case went to the Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court decided that it was legal for a state to make black people use separate facilities After Plessy v Ferguson separate but equal laws began to be enforced across the country 7 Sports Unite Us

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