McCain
Resolution Calling on President to Posthumously Pardon First African American
Heavyweight Boxing Champion Passes Senate
15Rounds.com,
October 7, 2004
http://15rounds.com/press/johnson_100704.htm
Washington, DC—U.S. Senator John
McCain, Chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, this
week issued the following statement on introduction and Senate passage of a
resolution that calls on the President of the United States to exercise his
Constitutional authority to pardon posthumously John Arthur “Jack” Johnson
for Mr. Johnson’s racially-motivated conviction in 1913.
Sen. McCain’s floor statement follows:
“Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate will
approve a Senate resolution, which I introduced with my colleagues Senators
Hatch and Kennedy, calling on the President to exercise his Constitutional
authority to pardon posthumously the world ‘s first African American
Heavyweight champion, John Arthur “Jack” Johnson, for his
racially-motivated 1913 conviction.
“For those of my colleagues who are not familiar with
the plight of Jack Johnson, he is considered by many to be the most dominant
athlete in boxing history. Born in the Jim Crow-era South in 1878 to parents
who were former slaves, he realized his talent for the sweet science early in
life. In order to make a living, Johnson traveled across the country fighting
anyone willing to face him. But he was denied repeatedly on purely racial
grounds a chance to fight for the world Heavyweight title. For too long,
African American fighters were not seen as legitimate contenders for the
championship. Fortunately, after years of perseverance, Johnson was finally
granted an opportunity in 1908 to fight the then-reigning title holder, Tommy
Burns. Johnson handily defeated Burns to become the first African American
Heavyweight champion.
“Jack Johnson’ s success in the ring, and sometimes
indulgent lifestyle outside of it, fostered resentment among many and raised
concerns that Johnson’s continued dominance in the ring would somehow
disrupt what was then perceived by many as a ‘racial order.’ So, a search
for a white boxer who could defeat Johnson began—a recruitment effort that
was dubbed the search for the ‘great white hope.’ That hope arrived in the
person of former champion Jim Jeffries who returned from retirement to fight
Johnson in 1910. But when Johnson defeated Jeffries, race riots broke out as
many sought to avenge the loss.
“Following the defeat of the ‘great white hope, ‘
the federal government launched an investigation into the legality of
Johnson’s relationships with white women. The Mann Act, which was enacted in
1910, outlawed the transport of white women across state lines for the purpose
of prostitution or debauchery, or for ‘any other immoral purpose.’ Using
the ‘any other immoral purpose’ clause as a pretext, federal law
enforcement officials set out to ‘get’ Johnson.
“On October 18, 1912 , he was arrested for transporting
his white girlfriend across state lines in violation of the Mann Act. But the
charges were dropped when the woman, whose mother had originally tipped off
federal officials, refused to cooperate with authorities. She later married
Johnson.
“Yet, federal authorities persisted in their
persecution of Johnson, persuading a former white girlfriend of Johnson’s to
testify that he had transported her across state lines. Her testimony resulted
in Johnson’s conviction in 1913, when he was sentenced to one year and a day
in federal prison. During Johnson’s appeal, one prosecutor admitted that
‘Mr. Johnson was perhaps persecuted as an individual, but that it was his
misfortune to be the foremost example of the evil in permitting the
intermarriage of whites and blacks.’
“Johnson fled the country to Canada , and then traveled
to various European and South American countries, before losing his
Heavyweight Championship title in Cuba in 1915. He returned to the United
States in 1920, surrendered to authorities, and served nearly a year in
federal prison. Despite this obvious injustice, Johnson refused to turn his
back on the country that betrayed him. During World War II, he traveled the
country to promote war bonds. Johnson died in an automobile accident in 1946.
“Mr. President, a gross injustice was done to Jack
Johnson when a federal law was misused to send him to prison. The Senate’s
passage of this resolution and the President’s pardon of Jack Johnson would
not right this injustice, but it would recognize it, and shed light on the
achievements of an athlete who was forced into the shadows of bigotry and
prejudice. Taking such actions would allow future generations to grasp fully
what Jack Johnson accomplished against great odds and appreciate his
contributions to society unencumbered by the taint of his criminal conviction.
“Jack Johnson was a flawed individual who was certainly
controversial. But he was also an historic American figure, whose life and
accomplishments played an instrumental role in our nation ‘s progress toward
true equality under the law. And he deserved much better than a
racially-motivated conviction, which denied him of his liberty, and served to
diminish his athletic, cultural, and historic significance.
“Mr. President, the pardon of Jack Johnson would not be
an act that would benefit Mr. Johnson or his heirs. Rather, his pardon would
be a nominal but useful corrective of a shameful injustice that would serve as
a testament of America ‘s resolve to live up to its noble ideals of justice
and equality. Instead of erasing from our memories the injustice that deprived
a great athlete of his livelihood and freedom, we have an opportunity to speak
as one in condemning the public intolerance and misuse of federal authority
that was perpetrated against this man.
“While we know that we cannot possibly right the wrong
that was done to Jack Johnson, we can take this small step toward
acknowledging his mistreatment and removing the cloud that casts a shadow on
his legacy.”
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