Muhammad Ali once said that he was “a new kind of black man” (King of the World, xiii). Using information from
course readings and lectures, write an essay in which you assess the degree to which Muhammad Ali was or was not
different from the other African American athletes we have read about and discussed in this course. In other
words, was Ali a new type of black athlete? Why or why not?
To answer this question convincingly you must substantively compare and contrast Muhammad Ali with at least
three of the black athletes that we have discussed who preceded him. As a reminder, possible athletes to consider
for comparison include (but are not limited to): Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Paul Robeson, Wilma
Rudolph, Floyd Patterson, and Sonny Liston.
An outstanding essay will (1) have a clear, forceful argument in your opening paragraph in which you explain
why Ali was or was not significantly different to the black athletes that preceded him; (2) will support and develop
that argument by using evidence and examples drawn from lectures, course readings (don’t forget the secondarysource essays that we assigned on Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Wilma Rudolph—thy can be very helpful here), and
especially, King of the World; and (3) will present counter-evidence—that is, it will include a developed discussion of
why one might answer the question counter to the way you are, but then explain why your interpretation is more
compelling.
Formatting Guidelines: Your essay should be 4-6 pages in length. Your essay must be typed, double-spaced,
use 12-point font (we suggest Times New Roman), and have one-inch margins. Give your essay a title—though
no title pages please.
Please use Chicago/Turabian style footnotes in your essay. If you do use “outside” information, make sure to footnote where that information comes
from.
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