Case Study: Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson

In Race, Class, Gender, we are currently discussing Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson was a black boxer who won the Heavyweight championship in the early 1900s (around 1910), taking a title that black boxers were not originally allowed to have. His defeat of white favorite Jim Jeffries caused widespread racial tension and race riots broke out in cities across the country. He definitely broke a barrier and proved that African Americans were just as strong, clever, and talented as white Americans. Arguably, his defeat of Jeffries and his unwillingness to conform to white standards could have made him a hero, but things were much murkier. Despite his victory, his personal life and behavior made him an enemy of the majority of white people and many African Americans. So is the potential hero's personal life more important than their heroic acts in making them a hero? And is this fair to the "hero"?

Johnson fought many white boxers at lower levels of the sport, and he eventually fought a white boxer, Tommy Burns, to win the Heavyweight Champion title. However, white people across America were angry that Johnson was a black man, and white boxers challenged him again and again to no avail. Finally, the retired favorite Jim Jeffries came out of retirement to become the "Great White Hope". Clearly, in this fight, Johnson symbolized the African American man's hope for advancement and greatness, while Jeffries symbolized the white man's fear that they would not remain dominant over minorities. Johnson won. This could be considered a heroic act on Johnson's part; he had proven that African Americans were just as good as whites. Of course, this gave white racists even more reason to hate him. However, it seems like African Americans would have made a hero out of him. Many did, but many did not, and that relates to his personal conduct.

Johnson with first wife Etta Duryea

Johnson was not submissive at all. He wasn't really even respectful. He knew his own mind and he was going to do what he wanted to even if it was not considered appropriate for a black man. He slept with numerous women, both white a black, drove fast cars, and flaunted his wealth. He had his front teeth gold plated. He bought houses in solely white neighborhoods. This alienated many black people (not to mention white people), and his fight caused the deaths of many African Americans and a few white people in the weeks following the match (that is not directly his fault).

In a time when Booker T. Washington was considered a guide on how African Americans should behave in order to gain status and economic prosperity, Johnson was not conducting himself particularly well. He was not following the accepted rules of white people or black people, and some African Americans believed he was betraying his own people by being with white women. In general, his heroism, while still present, was murky and questionable.

During a time when obviously breaking social codes was more acceptable, like during the 60s and the 70s, Johnson might have been indisputably a hero. But because he boxed during the 1910s and his behavior was not considered the best way for African Americans to better themselves, he was somewhat less of a hero. This is true of all heroes, I think. Regardless of the heroism of your act, your status as a "hero" will always be tenuous, and it will depend not only on your own personal conduct but on how said personal conduct is viewed during the specific time in which you live.