Jesse Owens Accomplishments

467 Words2 Pages
“Owens won four gold medals and set three Olympic records at the Berlin games, and his achievements shattered Adolf Hitler's assertions of Aryan supremacy. Although Owens became an international celebrity after the 1936 Olympics, he had to struggle to support himself and his family. In fact, Owens really didn't get his due until 1955”(Jesse Owens and the 'Triumph' in Berlin). “He became a convenient goodwill ambassador for the United States, for American industry, for the American government. He was someone they could send around the world as a symbol of American opportunity, even for its minorities at a time when it was in obviously an ideological struggle with the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Cold War”(Jesse Owens and the 'Triumph' in Berlin).…show more content…
“By the time Jesse Owens wins his first gold medal the next day, Hitler is honoring his pledge, believe it or not, to the head of the International Olympic Committee”(Jesse Owens and the 'Triumph' in Berlin). Jesse Owens tells everyone that Adolf Hitler didn’t snub him but nobody wanted to hear that story. And the story proved remarkably durable, and persists to this day(Jesse Owens and the 'Triumph' in Berlin). Jesse Owens was a man with remarkable dignity, grace and talent, however he’s not perfect. He wasn't an angel. He certainly had his foibles. But at the end of the day, what he achieved was so meaningful. And I don't want to suggest that he saved any lives; all the horrors that were to come still came(Jesse Owens and the 'Triumph' in Berlin). Jesse Owens was the late sprinter and long jumper who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and also received a fifth gold medal for "humanitarian contributions in the race of life" (Sports People: TRACK AND FIELD; Bush Awards Owens His Fifth Gold

More about Jesse Owens Accomplishments

Open Document