Bo Garrett HIS 328 Matthew Bailey May 7, 2013

The Tool
The idea of Muscular Assimilation from the Black point of view was to use sports to show that Black athletes could compete at the same level as Whites. With this idea they also wanted to prove themselves to Whites so that eventually they would be accepted as equals. This idea was a good conservative method and not overly radical. It would have proven to be very effective if only all Black sports figures and important social figures were on the same page. Muscular Assimilation itself had only a few victories, but it was the continuous force that eventually pushed for the equality of Blacks and other minorities in America. In America, urbanization, industrialization, and immigration were said to be making the United States weak. American manhood began to become an important theme because men were beginning to feel less manly due to the change in gender roles due to women entering the public sphere (Notes). Sporting Clubs began to appear in the mid 1800s where men of the same social status would meet and compete with one another in certain sporting events. After these sports clubs begin to take hold, though mostly in the North, African Americans sought to enter the sporting sphere as well. For example the Pythian Baseball Club, which was founded in 1867, was made up of the upper crust Blacks in the Black community (Wikipedia). This club played against other clubs across the United States and was a way for Blacks to instill racial pride and reinforce class position. The Pythian Baseball Club tried to get membership within the Pennsylvania State Baseball Organization, but is denied because they are an all Black club

(Notes). Other clubs would form and also be denied these memberships as well because of their color base. Though these clubs failed; some Blacks managed to make their way into sports like baseball, boxing, horse racing, and cycling. Athletes like Isaac Murphy, Moses Walker, Major Taylor, Peter Jackson and George Dixon would be able to compete against Whites because of their enormous talent and the flexibility of the color line in the later 19th century. But there were also draw backs to some athletes such as Peter Jackson and Major Taylor. Even though their talents were superb the color line still existed in their lives. Peter Jackson was unable to fight for the heavyweight title because of his race and Major Taylor could not race in the South due to the color line as well (Notes). Muscular Assimilation was being asserted through these men although not effectively because of the enforcement of the color line in certain regions and even areas of sports, but these men helped to continue the push for future generations. A new face arrived, however, in the boxing ring as Jack Johnson took the stage and thus became the first Black World Heavyweight Champion in 1903. During a period when African Americans were expected to know their place in the American cultural and political set up, Johnson was not afraid to taunt the people he considered his opponents in a bid to express his displeasure with the society. Johnson proved to be a strong challenge to the status quo in White America (Notes). He overtly showed how he felt about segregation regardless of all political, legal, or economic consequences and became an inspiration in the Black community, for some. Unfortunately, Johnson had so many flaws in his character that he was viewed as a controversial figure. His womanizing and illegal betting made him an embarrassment to the Black community members and helped to reinforce the racial stereotypes of the time (Roberts, 214-218). Muscular

Assimilation took a hit here because of Johnsons poor character, but it helped to inspire and further the Black dream of social equality. By the time the Progressive Era comes around, the social sphere is filled with upheaval. From 1915 to 1930, Blacks are moving in great numbers from the South to the North. This is resulting in race riots breaking out in Northern cities because of the new Black population and need for Black space (Notes). The Ku Klux Klan makes a comeback after the screening of the movie the Birth of a Nation. Although Blacks were facing high tensions, athletes were still able to find ways into sports. Professional football was unpopular at the time and so some Black football stars like Joe Lilliard and Ray Kemp were able to find themselves a place in football. Even though they were good players, the color line still fell upon them in football by the mid 1930s due to the sports rising popularity and the risk of having the sport alienated because of Black players on teams. At the same time, baseball had already set the color line and this pushed Blacks into creating their own leagues. Leagues such as the Negro National League and the Southern Negro League were created at this time (Notes). Muscular Assimilation got another chance in 1938 to prove Blacks could compete when George Halas, owner of the Bears, agreed to play against an all star Black club. The Bears beat the club brutally and this resulted in a huge setback for Blacks (Notes). Kenny Washington came around and he had huge potential to break the color barrier. George Halas wanted to sign him, but he was refused by the other owners to allow him to sign Washington. Here again, Muscular Assimilation was unsuccessful in breaking the color line, but Washingtons skill raised eyebrows and stirred ideas for future owners and players. In Los Angeles, the Cleveland Rams wanted to relocate and had decided to use the citys coliseum to feature their football team. Black protestors and press urged the city to make the Rams integrate if they were going to use a

city funded coliseum and so the Rams agreed. They signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, but mostly just to appease Black protestors and press. In Cleveland, the Browns owner and coach, Paul Brown, signed Bill Willis after watching him at training camp and they also signed Marion Motley, who played at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. These two were signed solely on their ability to play (Notes). Muscular Assimilation didnt affect the Rams directly like it did with the Cleveland Browns and Bill Willis, but it helped inspire Black protestors and press to pressure the Rams to integrate the team. After World War II up to the 1960s, there were numerous amounts of heroes for the Black community such as; Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Wendell Scott, and Chuck Cooper. This was the gradual integration era where very good Black athletes began to get signed into professional sports. Muscular Assimilation was working on account of these great athletes and gentlemen (Notes). The color line was beginning to blur in professional sports and even other sports like tennis and NASCAR, For the first time in their lives, numerous NASCAR fans found themselves rooting for a black man to defeat white men (Donovan 222). The color line in intercollegiate football was blurring because of the importance of bowl game prestige. Finally, Muscular Assimilation ushered in the biggest change for Blacks in America with the Civil Rights Movement. Thanks to organizations like the NAACP and SCLC as well as figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokley Carmichael, real change was coming. Non-violent protests across America were gaining national sympathy and support to end Jim Crow and racial hatred. It wasnt easy for these organizations because of the massive resistance it faced and other figures like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers (Notes).

In conclusion, Muscular Assimilation was the heart and soul for change in America. As Ive shown by these figures examples, Muscular Assimilation was the gradual push in the Black community to gain the freedoms Black Americans and all Americans enjoy today. It had setbacks through figures like Jack Johnson and Malcolm X due to their unacceptable behavior by White America as well as the Black community, but figures like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, and Wendell Scott were heroic enough to outshine the few who hindered the push.

Work Cited Donovan B. Hard Driving: the Scott Wendell Story, SteerForth Press, 2008. Print Garrett, Bo. Lecture Notes. Roberts, Randy. Papa Jack: Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes. New York: Free Press, 1985. Print. Wikipedia. Pythian Baseball Club. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Pythians accessed via web on May 5, 2013.