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What is the story of John Henry?
Why is John Henry A legend?
Who was John Henry?
Why is John Henry a hero?
The story of John Henry is told in a classic blues folk song about his duel against a drilling machine, which exists in many versions, and has been the subject of numerous stories, plays, books, and novels.
- 1840s or 1850s
- American folk hero
Dec 9, 2020 · Since then, the song has transformed considerably; a 2020 version by Steve Earle ( found on YouTube) starts: John Henry was a steel drivin' man / He died in West Virginia / With his hammer in his hand. Yet the song remains true to the basic story, which continues to resonate with audiences today.
Mar 7, 2024 · The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Last Updated: Mar 7, 2024 • Article History. John Henry. Statue of John Henry, near Talcott, West Virginia. 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 ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The legend, as told through ballads and work songs, has kept the story of John Henry and the black railroad workers alive. In February of 1870, workers began drilling the Great Bend Tunnel where the Greenbrier River makes a seven-mile meander around Big Bend Mountain.
Retold by S.E. Schlosser. A West Virginia Legend. Now John Henry was a mighty man, yes sir. He was born a slave in the 1840’s but was freed after the war. He went to work as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, don’t ya know. And John Henry was the strongest, the most powerful man working the rails.
Folklorists have long thought John Henry to be mythical, but historian Scott Nelson has discovered that he was a real person—a nineteen-year-old from New Jersey who was convicted of theft in a Virginia court in 1866, sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary, and put to work building the C&O Railroad.
Introduction. Of uncertain historicity but undeniable cultural importance is the story of John Henry, the steel-driving man. He was an African American railroad worker who became a folk hero among the poor thanks to his earthy nature, physical prowess, and dramatic struggle against the machinery slowly replacing laborers like him.
