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John Henry is a symbol of physical strength and endurance, of exploited labor, of the dignity of a human being against the degradations of the machine age, and of racial pride and solidarity. During World War II his image was used in U.S. government propaganda as a symbol of social tolerance and diversity. [14]
- 1840s or 1850s
- American folk hero
Mar 7, 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 did the machine 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 and of the Black man’s ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn how John Henry, the legendary steel driver who battled a steam-powered drill and died, was a nineteen-year-old from New Jersey who was convicted of theft and put to work building the C&O Railroad. Historian Scott Nelson reveals the untold story of John Henry's life, work songs, and resistance in this lecture at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
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.
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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 tunnel race, his symbolism in civil rights and labor movements, and his influence on culture and health.
May 9, 2018 · John Henry. John Henry, a mighty laborer who outperformed a mechanical drill, is a character who first appeared in African American songs and ballads. He can be seen as a symbol of black strength and of African Americans ' refusal to be crushed. In more general terms, John Henry also represents the human will and spirit, which a machine may ...
