Although Jack Johnson found success in living an anomalous lifestyle for people of color in the early 20th century, Johnson’s accomplishments as a political revolutionary were unable to escape the influence of white supremacy throughout his life.
With the emergence of Eugenics in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th century, white colonialists developed the belief that the white race was intellectually and physically superior to that of other races. In Professor’s Hawkins lecture, “Imperialism in Early 20th Century”, delivered on April 13th, 2017, Professor Hawkins “‘[Gobineua] argues that scientific analysis realizes that it is the white race that is superior; refined, educated, the architects, and promulgators of society’” (Hawkins…show more content… Runstedtler highlights the significance of Johnson’s legacy by influencing the etiquette of colored athletes by asserting, “Even after Johnson’s pugilistic decline and imprisonment, the aspirations of nonwhite athletes and their fans could not be contained. Johnson’s defiant legacy had already taken hold” (Runstedtler 233). Johnson’s legacy as a rebellious pugilist and a prominent dandy inspired athletes, like prizefighter Battling Siki, to repudiate colonial etiquette and embody Johnson’s example of masculinity. The international appeal of Johnson’s career as a boxer and a revolutionary would allow him to remain a potent figure in black pride and sovereignty. Notwithstanding Johnson’s brilliant career and extravagant lifestyle that strongly challenged ideologies of racial superiority, Johnson’s life continued to be constrained by inequalities prompted by white supremacy. After Johnson lost the title of world heavyweight champion, his social and economic success began deteriorating as he lingered throughout Europe, “The former champion not only faced legal troubles and poor box office returns, but he also had to contend with slanderous reports of his ‘inappropriate’ advances on English women” (Runstedtler 218). Throughout his lifetime, Jack Johnson remained in nations under the influence of white superiority and was not able to escape the criticism and prosecution of white racism. Regardless of Johnson’s efforts to defy white supremacy and challenge racial practices, Johnson was unable to inspire significant changes traditional racial
