Difference between revisions of "Jesse Owens"
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{{cquote|[[Hitler]] didn’t snub me; it was our president [[FDR]] who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send a telegram.}} | {{cquote|[[Hitler]] didn’t snub me; it was our president [[FDR]] who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send a telegram.}} | ||
| − | Owens also "soon became a favorite of Republican president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]."<ref name=gentry/> Later at his life in 1976, President [[Gerald | + | Owens also "soon became a favorite of Republican president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]."<ref name=gentry/> Later at his life in 1976, President [[Gerald Ford]] awarded him the highest honor an American civilian can receive, the Medal of Freedom. |
==Quotes about Owens== | ==Quotes about Owens== | ||
Revision as of 21:19, May 28, 2023
| James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Born | September 12, 1913 Oakville, Alabama | ||
| Died | March 31, 1980 Tucson, Arizona | ||
| Political Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse | Minnie Ruth Solomon | ||
| Religion | Christian[1] | ||
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete and four-time Olympic gold medalist.
Owens was most accomplished in sprinting and long jump events; he was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history".[2] He set three world records and tied another in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan; this has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport"[3] and has never been equaled. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Owens won four gold medals: 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4 × 100 meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the games and as was credited with "single-handedly crush[ing] Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy."[4]
Snubbed by Democratic president Franklin D. Roosevelt upon his return when Roosevelt invited only white athletes to the White House for a congratulatory celebration, Owens accepted an offer by the Republican Party to speak on its behalf; at a campaign for party nominee Alfred M. Landon in the 1936 U.S. presidential election, he stated:[5][6][7]
| “ | Hitler didn’t snub me; it was our president FDR who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send a telegram. | ” |
Owens also "soon became a favorite of Republican president Dwight D. Eisenhower."[6] Later at his life in 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded him the highest honor an American civilian can receive, the Medal of Freedom.
Quotes about Owens
| “ | Perhaps no athlete better symbolized the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry. His personal triumphs as a world-class athlete and record holder were the prelude to a career devoted to helping others. His work with young athletes, as an unofficial ambassador overseas, and a spokesman for freedom are a rich legacy to his fellow Americans | ” |
—President Jimmy Carter | ||
Further reading
- Jeremy Schaap, Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics, (2007) 272 pp.
References
- ↑ January 15, 2023. Letter to Famed Olympian Jessie Owens Shows His Faith's Impact. CBN. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ↑ Litsky, Frank (1980). Jesse Owens Dies Of Cancer at 66. Retrieved on March 23, 2014.
- ↑ Rothschild, Richard (May 24, 2010). Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports. Retrieved on March 23, 2014.
- ↑ Schwartz, Larry (2000). Owens Pierced A Myth. ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on July 6, 2000.
- ↑ Gipson, Therlee (May 29, 2018). Holocaust-Genocide, p. 17. Google Books. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gentry, Tony (1990). Jesse Owens, p. 150. Google Books. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ↑ Streissguth, Tom (1999). Jesse Owens, 2nd Edition, p. 70. Google Books. Retrieved May 28, 2023.