The+Berlin+Olympicsca

=Jesse Owens=

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In 1936, Adolf Hitler scored a huge propaganda success as host of the summer olympics in Berlin. The games were a two week interlude in Germany's escalating campaign against the Jewish and black populations. Hitler allowed only members of the Aryan race to compete for Germany to even further his belief of racial supremacy. He even put up signs stating "jews not wanted." In an attempt to clean up Berlin, the German ministry of the interior authorized the chief of police to arrest all gypsies and keep them in a special camp. The total ticket revenue was 7.5 million Reichsmarks, generating a profit of one million marks. At the time, America decided not to send any of their Jewish athletes and to limit the number of African American athletes. Jesse Owens happened to be one of the athletes who was permitted to go to Germany, where he actually had more liberties than he did in the United States.=====

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Jesse Owens' childhood was very hard. He was a sickly little boy, and his family had a hard time affording food, but one of his teachers took interest in him. This teacher would bring him something to eat in the morning, invite him to dinner, and also taught him how to run all in an effort to get back to a healthy stature. Soon the teacher realized his talent in running, and Jesse was eventually accepted into Ohio State University. Though Owens enjoyed athletic success, he had to live off campus with other African American athletes. When he traveled with the team, Owens was restricted to ordering carry-out or eating at "black-only" restaurants. Similarly, he had to stay at "blacks-only" hotels. Owens did not receive a scholarship for his efforts, so he continued to work part-time jobs to pay for school.===== In the __**Berlin olympics **__,Owens surprised many by winning four gold medals: On August 3, 1936 he won the 100m sprint, defeating Ralph Metcalf. On August 4 he won the long jump, and on August 5, the 200m sprint. After he was added to the 4 x 100 m relay team, he won his fourth on August 9. Owens was cheered enthusiastically by 110,000 people in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, and on the streets Germans wanted his autograph. Owens was allowed to travel with and stay in the same hotels as whites, while at the time blacks in many parts of the United States were denied equal rights. When he came back to the U.S, they held the Ticker Tape Parade of Fifth Avenue in his honor. __**Owens later commented, "Hitler didn't snub me—it was FDR who snubbed me".**__ After the games had finished, the Olympic team and Owens were all invited to compete in Sweden. He decided to capitalize on his success by returning to the United States to take up some of the more lucrative commercial offers. United States athletic officials were furious and withdrew his amateur status, ending his career immediately. Owens was angry, saying, "A fellow desires something for himself." Owens ran a dry-cleaning business and worked as a gas station attendant to earn a living. But, he soon had to file for bankruptsy, and the Government ended up stepping in and appointed him a U.S. Good Will Ambassador. Owens traveled the world and spoke to big companies such as Ford Motor Company and the United States Olympic Commitee. Sadly after smoking for 35 years, Owens contracted lung cancer and died at the age of 66 in Tuscon, Arizona in 1980. The Berlin Olympics were very controversial because Hitler wanted to show that Germans were the more superior race. When Jesse Owens won all those medals, he ended up showing Hitler that there were flaws in his ideals. Another controversial issue is the fact that Jesse Owens had more liberties in Germany than in America. He could use any restroom or water fountain that he pleased. This is a time when America was supposed to be this tolerant place where you could be free and prosper. In conclusion, Jesse Owens was a great man that did great things in his time; he should be admired by all as a hero.