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\nThe boxing film that was banned around the world\n

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\nIn 1910, boxing heavyweight champion Jack Johnson defeated Jim Jeffries in the \"Battle of the Century,\" and the nation erupted. Subscribe to Vox and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don't miss any videos​ On December 26, 1908, American...\nIn 1910, boxing heavyweight champion Jack Johnson defeated Jim Jeffries in the \"Battle of the Century,\" and the nation erupted. Subscribe to Vox and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don't miss any videos​ On December 26, 1908, American boxer Jack Johnson became the first Black heavyweight champion of the world, after defeating defending champion Tommy Burns in a title fight in Sydney, Australia. Black fighters were typically denied the chance to win the heavyweight title, a de-facto line of segregation that was known as “the color line.” So when Burns accepted Johnson’s challenge and lost, the film that was distributed around the fight proved controversial. The white boxing world set out to find a white heavyweight to beat Johnson and take back the title. That white fighter ended up being James Jeffries, a former heavyweight champion who had retired undefeated. Their fight, hyped as the “Battle of the Century,” took place in Reno, Nevada, on July 4, 1910, in front of 20,000 mostly-white spectators and nine motion picture cameras. Throughout the nation, many thousands more listened to live telegram bulletins of each round. Johnson beat Jeffries easily, and, as a result, racist mob violence broke out across the country, and Black Americans celebrating Johnson’s win were attacked, and some were killed. The film of the fight became notorious worldwide and was the most talked-about motion picture of its time. Johnson lost the heavyweight title in 1915 after successfully defending it eight times, but remained an inspiration for many fighters to come. Further reading: Fight Pictures: A History of Boxing and Early Cinema, by Dan Streible Prizefighting and the Birth of Movie Censorship, by Barak Orbach Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner: Boxing in the Shadow of the Global Color Line, by Theresa Runstedtler Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out​. Watch our full video catalog​ Follow Vox on Facebook​ Or Twitter\n
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Resource Details

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Curator Rating
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Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
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Grade
9th - 11th
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Subjects
All Subjects
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Media Type
Instructional Videos
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Source:
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Date
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2021
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Audiences
For Teacher Use
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