The Manliest Man: How Jack Johnson Changed the Relationship of White Supremacy and Masculinity in America

Abstract

Jack Johnson was an African American boxer in America at the turn of the century. This paper will detail Johnson's accomplishments and how his time as a household name changed the relationship between white supemacy and masculinity. The complex charateristics of masculinity in the 1900s strictly excluded African Americans. Sustaining white supremacy was crucial to maintaining mainstreem masculinity. This study will focus on African Americans' and white Americans' views of Jack Johnson during his most famous years.