Search results
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.
- 1840s or 1850s
- American folk hero
Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend. Time Period. 1877 to 1924. Media Type. Video. Topics. Black History. Presenter. Scott Reynolds Nelson. According to the ballad that made him famous, John Henry did battle with a steam-powered drill, beat the machine, and died.
Aug 4, 2008 · In Steel Drivin' Man, Scott Reynolds Nelson recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero, telling the poignant tale of a young Virginia convict who died working on one of the most dangerous enterprises of the time, the first rail route through the Appalachian Mountains.
- (77)
- Scott Reynolds Nelson
- $14.95
- Oxford University Press, USA
And John Henry was the strongest, the most powerful man working the rails. John Henry, he would spend his day’s drilling holes by hitting thick steel spikes into rocks with his faithful shaker crouching close to the hole, turning the drill after each mighty blow.
John Henry - Learn about the amazing feats and history of John Henry the 'the steel-driving man' Famous for his speed and strength when digging into Rock by hand. Dicover John Henryism, and his Role in American Civil Rights Movement.
Nov 13, 2019 · John Henry was a legendary steel driving man, whose life is the basis for one of the world’s best-known folk tales. His fame rests on a single epic moment when he raced the steam drill during the building of a West Virginia railroad tunnel.
Oct 18, 2006 · By William Grimes. Oct. 18, 2006. In the American mythic pantheon, John Henry stands right at the top, alongside Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill. Virtually every schoolchild knows the tale, transmitted...
