HIST 120 UNCCH Muhammad Ali Continuing Work of Black Advancement Essay

Write an essay in which you assess the degree to which Muhammad Ali was or was not
different from the other African American athletes we have read about and discussed in this course. In other words,
to what extent was Ali a new type of black athlete?
To answer this question convincingly you must substantively compare and contrast Muhammad Ali with at least
three of the black athletes that we have discussed and read about who preceded him. As a reminder, possible
athletes to consider for comparison include (but are not limited to): Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Althea
Gibson, Paul Robeson, Wilma Rudolph, Floyd Patterson, and Sonny Liston.
An outstanding essay will (1) have a clear, forceful argument in your opening paragraph in which you explain
why Ali was or was not significantly different to the black athletes that preceded him; (2) will support and develop
that argument by using evidence and examples drawn from lectures and course readings (King of the World is the
primary text) and, if you would like, the film, One Nation Divisible; and (3) will be nuanced and will seek the
limits of your own argument

Use these to support your argument ” :

-Gerald Early, “Integration, Black Heroism, and the Meaning of Jackie Robinson,” Chronicle of Higher
Education (May 23, 1997).
-: Jack Olsen, “The Cruel Deception,” Part I of “The Black Athlete—A Shameful Story,’” Sports
Illustrated (July 1, 1968).
-: Arthur Ashe, “An Open Letter to Black Parents: Send Your Children to the Libraries” New York Times
(February 6, 1977

-David Remnick, King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero

Watch: Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Champion (1961)

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Make sure that your thesis is clear and your arguments support it. So, pay attention to make your paper argumentative with clear analyses.

Even if you choose one side (Ali was unique/new type of athlete or he was a part of continuity), you appreciate and mention the anti-thesis/counterarguments.

Mind that you’re referring to “the King of the World”.

Even though, in the prompt, it is not mentioned to use a primary source, bear in mind that this is a history class, and sources are very important to us. So, if you use some primary sources (mainly we covered in our document workshops), they might make your paper way stronger.

Though not in the reading list of this year, I’d like to share with you a source about Jack Johnson, which was assigned by Dr. Andrews for this class last year, so, if you use Jack Johnson as a main figure in your paper, feel free to use this document as a source.