About This Lesson
James "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who gained international fame at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. On August 3, 1936, he won the first of four gold medals in the following categories: 100 meter, 200 meter, the long jump, and 4 × 100 meter relay. Owens was the most successful athlete at those Olympic games, and as a black man, he dispelled Adolf Hitler's idea of Aryan supremacy.
Watch the following video clips with students and use the accompanying reflection document to learn more about Jesse Owens and the impact he had.
