Writers and artists see in john henry a symbol of mans foredoomed struggle against the machine. Henry, or john william henry in previously unexplored prison records of the virginia penitentiary. The true, tall tale of a freed slave who worked on a railroad. It was a song about john henry, the steeldriving man. Given his line of work, he probably wears relatively tightfitting clothing, if any to minimize the buildup of heat when working. Whether he was a true historical figure or a fictitious hero carved into the minds of common americans by oral tradition, his story has given inspiration to generations. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading steel drivin man. The last words i heard that poor boy say, my daddy was steel driving man.
Today, many children watch the disney version of john henry and they might fall. Consider the legend of john henry and his race against the newly invented steam hammer, a competition in driving steel to build a railroad line. Shapiro illustrated by al schmidt weekly reader childrens book club 1958. John henry, steel driver extraordinare, surely one of our most popular legendary heroes. According to the legend he grew to stand 6 feet tall, 200 pounds a giant in that day. The company asked him to lead workers on a project to extend the railroad into the allegheny mountains. Nov 07, 2014 provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises john henry, the steel driving man the stanley brothers shadows of the past. In steel drivin man, scott reynolds nelson argues that the john henry. Nelsons john henry make him plausible as the real steeldriving man. John henry, the untold story of an american legend kindle edition by nelson, scott reynolds.
From that day on, they sang a new song as they worked. He was born a slave in the 1840s but was freed after the war. Nelsons john henry make him plausible as the real steel driving man. The story of john henry is told in a classic folk song, which exists in many versions, and has been the subject of. John henry became a steel drivin man, someone who swung a heavy hammer at a steel drill, driving it into rock to make railway tunnels through hills and mountains. He died shortly after, some say from exhaustion, some say from a stroke. And john henry was the strongest, the most powerful man working the rails. Julius lesters john henry is based on the african american folk ballad john henry, the tale of john henry, the steeldriving man who was bigger and stronger than anyone and the competition between him and the steampowered drill in digging a railroad tunnel through a mountain. The legend of the steel driving man took song from disney legend turned it into a full song. John henry was born on the porch of his mothers house and shortly after he was born he grew so tall and so strong,he grew straight through the roof of the house. Folklorists have long thought john henry to be mythical, but historian scott nelson has discovered that he was a real persona nineteenyearold from new jersey who was convicted of theft in a virginia court in 1866, sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary, and put. John henry was the greatest of hammerers, as well as the best of gamblers, the biggest of drinkers, nastiest of ghters, and the best of lovers. John henry, the steel driving man, is a story about a guy who tried to singlehandedly outhammer a machine, won the hammering race, then dropped dead at the end of it. Apr 28, 2020 john henry became a steel drivin man, someone who swung a heavy hammer at a steel drill, driving it into rock to make railway tunnels through hills and mountains.
Taking swings at a myth, with john henry the man the new york. It is important to remember that no one knows for sure if john henry existed. John henry was later released on bluray in walt disney animation studios short films collection on august 18, 2015 and is the perfect story to explain hard work and pride in ones work to children. When john henry was a little baby boy no bigger than the palm of your hand he picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel and said johnny gonna be a steel driving man yes he is johnny gonna be a steel driving man johnny gonna be a steel driving man john henry, he said to the captian i was born to be a steel driving man. John henry was a steeldrivin man eecs at uc berkeley. Henry was taken to the penitentiary at virginia and interred at a group grave next to a whitish workhouse situated near a railway.
Nov 20, 20 consider the legend of john henry and his race against the newly invented steam hammer, a competition in driving steel to build a railroad line. John henry worked harder than the steam drill until he got sick and his woman polly ann took over. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The steel driving racehorse, it seems as though a genre might be emerging.
John henry, the untold story of an american legend, historian scott. John henry the steel driving man by andrey zolotukhin 2001 duration. But john hardy was a famous african american bad man, not a steel driver, although the confusion that prevailed, significantly enough so that it was even perpetuated by ballad scholar john harrington cox in his folksongs of the south 6, suggested that as both john henry and john hardy were steel drivers false, they were in fact the same person. Henry was taken to the penitentiary at virginia and interred at a group grave. The workers made good progress on the project until they started working near big bend mountain in west virginia. John henry, a 1994 album by they might be giants john henry or john henry blues, a song recorded by deford bailey. The name conjures up the image of a 10foottall man swinging a. Studies in workingclass history of the americas,vol. When john henry was a little fellow,you could hold him in the palm of your hand,he said to his pa, when i grow upim gonna be a steeldriving man. John henry, the untold story of an american legend, historian scott reynolds nelson detailed his discovering documentation of a 19yearold africanamerican man alternately referred to as john henry, john w. He is said to have worked as a steeldriving mana man tasked with hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel. Steel drivin man john henry, the untold story of an american legend scott reynolds nelson john henry is the most recorded folk song in american history there are hundreds of version of the john henry ballad, it is routinely taught to american schoolchildren the song is enormously popular. Steel drivin man scott reynolds nelson oxford university.
Acclaimed film actor danny glover stars as john henry, the american folk hero. The new john henry documentary will chronicle the life and legacy of this remarkable animal, and will include interviews with fans, celebrities, dignitaries and other notables that knew him or won big money from his successes. Disney s retelling of the legend of john henry, the steel driving man. Disneys retelling of the legend of john henry, the steeldriving man. One of the most colorful characters in american folklore is the legendary john henry. John henry died trying to defeat an invention that actually brought deliverance from the inhuman conditions of all steeldriving men, including him. The book s narrative gives great detail to that era in richmond that john henry lived, as well as the white house by the tracks federal penitentiary where so many of these freedmen and women were wrongfully incarcerated and as it winds past john henry the individual, it reveals the highly pertinent correlation with those railroad songs. Thisconsistedofdriving a metal spike into the rock with a hammer. He looks like he is ready to spring off of his stone base and drive some serious steel.
Glossary civil war the war between the northern and southern states of the united states of. That is one of the things that makes the legend so intriguing. We have all heard the legend of john henry the african american steel driver. John henry was, reportedly, a former slave who went to work as a steeldriver for railroad construction as a young man.
John henry was the greatest of hammerers, as well as the best of gamblers, the biggest of drinkers, nastiest of ghters, and the best of. The last words i heard that poor boy say, my daddy was steeldriving man. He is said to have worked as a steeldriving mana man tasked with. Anonymous, the ballad of john henry the ballad and folktale of john henry, the tireless railroad worker, is the stuff of american legend. When john henry was 3 days old he picked up a hammer and made a prediction. The rest of the book recounts the history of the john henry ballads. This week, leaders in talcott, west virginia rededicated the towns most famous statue. John henry, the untold story of an american legend. After a heroic effort, including a tunnel through solid rock by swinging two hammers at once, john wins, but he.
Provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises john henry, the steel driving man the stanley brothers shadows of the past. John henry said to his captain, captain, you go to town, bring me back a twelvepound hammer, please. Oct 01, 1994 john henry is an african folklore about a man named john henry. John henry, a freed slave, happens across a railroad building project.
Did you know that princess and the frog is not the only disney cartoon about african. He used a 14pound hammer to drill, some historians believe, 10 to 20 feet in a 12hour day the best of any man on the rails. The legend of john henry has been celebrated in song and story for generations, but my favorite version is the childrens picture book john henry by julius lester, with illustrations by jerry pinkney. John henry went to work as a steel driver for the chesapeake and ohio railroad, or cando. Hear the story of this amazing man in this short readaloud.
For the left, henry symbolizes the workingclass hero. John henry became a steeldrivin man, someone who swung a heavy hammer at a steel drill, driving it into rock to make railway tunnels through hills and mountains. According to legend, john henrys prowess as a steeldriver was measured in a race. The bronze statue is a testament to the folk legend, whose win over a mechanical steel driver is. John henry and the railroad is a short film of 22 minutes, but its a. The john henry ballads probably originated as work songs for steeldrivers and other rail workers in the 1870s, and became more generalized as chain gang, worker, and prison songs. The legend of john henry level m 15 16 the other workers were sad to lose john henry. Now john henry was a steeldrivin man do you guys know what that means that means that he was a dude who worked on a railroad and his job was to kill mountains now the way he did this was some poor sonofabitch named little bill would hold a steel drill in place against the rock while john henry beat this shit out of it with a twenty pound hammer. John henry biography at black history now black heritage. John henry west virginia division of culture and history. The historical record is sketchy, but most of the verifiable facts about mr.
By the time john henry was a young man, he was one of the best steeldrivers in the country. The john henry ballads probably originated as work songs for steel drivers and other rail workers in the 1870s. John henry picture book 1994 a childrens picture book by julius lester. It depicts an eight foot tall, muscle bound john henry, standing with his feet spread wide and a hammer in both hands. Throughout the history of our country, we have been involved in numerous. In his 2006 book steel drivin man, scott nelson utilizes john william henry, who might have worked in virginias lewis tunnel and died therein. Similar to the 2008 lost in the fog documentary, john henry portrays a talented rags to riches story, but with a much happier ending. John henry is a massive for the time, at least and handsome black man. The ultimate battle of man versus machine, john henry represented the hearts of the working men who struggled to keep their jobs on the railroad as machines began moving in to do their work. John henry won, the legend says, driving 14 feet to the drills nine. But they were also proud of him for saving their jobs. According to the ballad that made him famous, john henry did battle with a steampowered drill, beat the machine, and died. When john henry was a little baby,setting on his mammys knee,he said the big bend tunnel on the c. But despair sets in again when the railroad sends a steam hammer to replace the crew and burns the contract.
John henry, he would spend his days drilling holes by hitting thick steel spikes. Tribute to john henry, steel driving man a happyglyphs. It describes his contest with a steam drill, in which john henry crushed more rock than did the machine but died with his hammer in his hand. Julius lesters john henry is based on the african american folk ballad john henry, the tale of john henry, the steel driving man who was bigger and stronger than anyone and the competition. The chesapeake and ohio railroad drove the big bend tunnel through west virginias allegheny mountains in the early 1870s, and legend places john henry there.
The spark of intelligence blazing in his eyes rivaled only by such characters as batman and steel. John henry is an african folklore about a man named john henry. African american historyhistory factshistory booksworld history history. John henry took sick and went to his bed polly ann drove steel like a man, lord, lord polly ann drove steel like a man john henry had a little baby you could hold him in the palm of your hand the last words i heard that poor boy say my daddy was a steel driving man, lord, lord my daddy was a steel driving man they took john henry to the. John henry was a mighty man song random and fun vids. The john henry movie is a featured film based on the true story of his life. The mountain was so tall and john henry was so small, he laid down his hammer and he cried, lord, lord, he laid down his hammer and he cried. The authors argument in steel drivin man is that the life of john henry was one of oppression multiplied through abuses of the penal system and forced penal labor. Information about john henry researchers believe that john henry was born a slave in the 1840s or 1850s.
Scott was my advisor in grad school it still impresses me, even after my third time reading steel drivin man, how solid this book is. Oct 18, 2006 the historical record is sketchy, but most of the verifiable facts about mr. Mar 18, 2017 julius lesters john henry is based on the african american folk ballad john henry, the tale of john henry, the steel driving man who was bigger and stronger than anyone and the competition between him and the steampowered drill in digging a railroad tunnel through a mountain. When john henry was a little baby boy no bigger than the palm of your hand he picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel and said johnny gonna be a steeldriving man yes he is johnny gonna be a steeldriving man johnny gonna be a steeldriving man john henry, he said to the captian i was born to be a steeldriving man. John henry went to work as a steeldriver for the chesapeake and ohio railroad, or cando. People said he worked so fast that his hammer moved. As the story goes, john henry was the strongest, fastest, most powerful man working on the rails. When john henry was a little fellow,you could hold him in the palm of your hand,he said to his pa, when i grow upim gonna be a steel driving man. Now is your chance to be him in the highly addictive app john henry.
John henry, a 1940 broadway musical based on the 1931 novel. He was a reasonably large man he supposedly stood at about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds and a banjo picker. Centered on the john henry of both reality and legend, it is a political, cultural, and social history that covers a lot of ground in under two hundred pages. The character later appeared in a walt disney feature animation short film, john henry 1999. With andre brazeau, david garrett, mikal hameed, peter macon. John henry, the steeldriving man, is a story about a guy who tried to singlehandedly outhammer a machine, won the hammering race, then dropped dead at the end of it. On the trail of the real john henry history news network.
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