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John Henry is an American folk hero. An African American freedman, he is said to have worked as a "steel-driving man"—a man tasked with hammering a steel drill into a rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel.
May 13, 2024 · John Henry, hero of a widely sung African American folk ballad. It describes his contest with a steam drill, in which John Henry crushed more rock than the machine did but died ‘with his hammer in his hand.’ Writers and artists see in John Henry a symbol of the worker’s foredoomed struggle against the machine.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the life and legacy of John Henry, a former prisoner who worked on the C&O Railroad and inspired a famous song. Historian Scott Nelson reveals how John Henry became a symbol of resistance and protest against machines and oppression.
John Henry was a legendary African American railroad worker who competed with a steam-powered drill and died of exhaustion. Learn about his possible identity, the tunnels he worked on, and his symbolism in American culture and civil rights.
- 2 min
Dec 9, 2020 · Learn about the origin, history, and significance of the folk song and story of John Henry, a Black railroad worker who died trying to out-drill a machine. Discover how this legend inspired many artists and became a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.
Sep 2, 2002 · Explore the history and legacy of John Henry, the legendary railroad worker who challenged a steam drill and died of exhaustion. Listen to early recordings of the ballad that immortalized his story and see how it inspired art and culture.
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