Jesse Owens and U.S. African American Athletes
Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany at the end of January 1933. Within just a few months, he gained emergency power, opened the first concentration camp, Dachau, for his political opponents, and began persecution of Jewish Germans. And so, many democracies in the west faced the question of whether their participation in the 1936 Nazi Olympics would show support for the Nazi regime.
Ultimately, 18 Black American athletes (16 men and 2 women) competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The African American athletes on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team brought home 14 medals: 8 gold; 4 silver; and 2 bronze.
Jesse Owens, a high school and Ohio State University standout in track and field, was one of the Black American athletes to participate in the Nazi Olympics. Owens’ performance at the 1936 Olympics has become legendary for his outstanding, gold-medal results in the 100-meter, the 200-meter, the long jump, and the 4 × 100-meter relay.
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