Jack Johnson Essay Example
Your name
Your Teacher
Texas History
October 19, 2010
Papa Jack
Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes
Born in Galveston on March 31,1878 to Henry and Tiny Johnson was the worlds first African American heavy weight champion of the world, Arthur (Jack) Johnson. His Father Henry and Mother Tiny were former slaves who when were free, made a living as a janitor and a laundress in Galveston Texas. There they started a family and had six children. Arthur was there third, and though they could not, they made sure all there children could both read and write. It was said that Jack Johnson was always a dreamer, a little more over the rest for at the age of twelve he stowed away in a cotton steamer to New York City to meet his hero, Steve Brodie, (the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and survive) and when he reached New York he became friends with Brodie, shook his hand and went back to Galveston, or so he liked to say. There are many different stories to how Johnson got his start in boxing, One was that there was a school bully who constantly picked at him and when he would come home upset and beat his mother would tell him if he came home beat up again she was going to give him a real beating. After that it is said that he never lost a fight. Another story is that he started by doing Battle Royals where a group of white men would get a couple of young black boys together blind fold them and have them fight and whom ever was last one standing would get a hand full of change, Johnson was always the last one standing. Johnson was always the rebel type and was now fighting professionally at private clubs in the Galveston area with other African American boxers. They weren’t making any real money but the houses were paid for and in 1898 he found a light skinned black girl named Mary Austin who he claimed to be married to but it ended in 1901. She would be the first of many Mrs. Johnson’s. In 1991 there became a law into which boxing was
Your Teacher
Texas History
October 19, 2010
Papa Jack
Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes
Born in Galveston on March 31,1878 to Henry and Tiny Johnson was the worlds first African American heavy weight champion of the world, Arthur (Jack) Johnson. His Father Henry and Mother Tiny were former slaves who when were free, made a living as a janitor and a laundress in Galveston Texas. There they started a family and had six children. Arthur was there third, and though they could not, they made sure all there children could both read and write. It was said that Jack Johnson was always a dreamer, a little more over the rest for at the age of twelve he stowed away in a cotton steamer to New York City to meet his hero, Steve Brodie, (the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and survive) and when he reached New York he became friends with Brodie, shook his hand and went back to Galveston, or so he liked to say. There are many different stories to how Johnson got his start in boxing, One was that there was a school bully who constantly picked at him and when he would come home upset and beat his mother would tell him if he came home beat up again she was going to give him a real beating. After that it is said that he never lost a fight. Another story is that he started by doing Battle Royals where a group of white men would get a couple of young black boys together blind fold them and have them fight and whom ever was last one standing would get a hand full of change, Johnson was always the last one standing. Johnson was always the rebel type and was now fighting professionally at private clubs in the Galveston area with other African American boxers. They weren’t making any real money but the houses were paid for and in 1898 he found a light skinned black girl named Mary Austin who he claimed to be married to but it ended in 1901. She would be the first of many Mrs. Johnson’s. In 1991 there became a law into which boxing was