Jesse owens and the berlin summer olympics of 1936

Biography Jesse Owens was born in Alabama in 1913 and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He first gained national attention while in high school when he competed at the 1933 National High School Championship in Chicago. There he tied the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash and long-jumped 24 feet 9 ½ inches. He then went on to become a track star at Ohio State University.

So What? What about Jesse Owen’s biography goes against Hitler’s theory Germans being racially superior? Ink-Pair-Share Write your answer on your note-catcher Share your answer with a partner Teacher will select pairs to share out to the class

1936 Berlin Summer Olympics – Atmosphere In 1936 the Summer Olympics was held in Berlin, Germany. It was a perfect time for Hitler to show off a resurgent Nazi Germany to the eyes of the world. Hitler had high hopes that his German athletes would win many medals and prove his idea that Germans were racially superior to other countries. Nazi propaganda promoted “Aryan racial superiority” and depicted African Americans as inferior.

Discuss with a classmate how the above poster for Germany’s 1936 Berlin Olympics is meant to depict German racial superiority.

1936 Berlin Summer Olympics – Jesse Owens’ Performance Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics: The 100m sprint The long jump The 200m sprint The 4x100m relay

1936 Berlin Summer Olympics – Hitler’s Reaction and the Media Certainly, Hitler would not have been pleased that Owens took home four gold medals. A rumor circulated by the media that Hitler snubbed Owens by refusing to shake his hand at the awards ceremony. Well, this is partly true, since Hitler didn’t shake any athlete’s hand that day, because he was warned by the Olympic committee not to show any favoritism.

Modern-day Connection What culture in modern-day America is discriminated against? Why? What are the similarities and differences between Hitler’s actions and our actions?

1936 Berlin Summer Olympics – Praise and Disapproval In private Hitler detested the fact that Owens made off with four gold medals: He considered African American people “primitive,” which coincided with his belief in German racial superiority. Owens, though, was enthusiastically embraced by the 110,000 people at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium and many sought his autograph. Although Owens’ victory irked Hitler, the German athletes pleased the fuehrer by taking home more medals than all other countries combined.

Journal Reflection In The Book Thief, Rudy is obsessed with Jesse Owens, and at one point, paints himself black and races around a track to imitate Owens. Now that you know a little bit about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, write a one-paragraph journal entry discussing what Rudy’s enthusiasm for Owens says about Rudy’s character and what he believes in. How does Rudy’s attitude coincide with or go against the prevailing attitudes of Germans during this time towards people of other races?