John Henry
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John Henry is an American folk hero. An African American freedman, he is said to have worked as a "steel-driving man"—a man tasked with hammering a steel drill into a rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel.
May 13, 2024 · John Henry, hero of a widely sung African American folk ballad. 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.”
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sep 28, 2013 · This ballad tells the story of John Henry, an American folk hero. According to legend, he was the strongest and fastest railroad workers in his day during the post-Civil War era.
- 3 min
- 879.2K
- SingAnAmericanStory
Learn about the life and legacy of John Henry, a former prisoner who worked on the C&O Railroad and inspired a famous song. Historian Scott Nelson reveals how John Henry became a symbol of resistance and protest against machines and oppression.
John Henry was a legendary African American railroad worker who competed with a steam-powered drill and died of exhaustion. Learn about his possible identity, the tunnels he worked on, and his symbolism in American culture and civil rights.
Jan 13, 2021 · From the story of hard work and the w ...more. Watch Extra Mythology ad-free on Nebula! https://go.nebula.tv/extramythology John Henry is a myth that embodies a lot of America.
- 7 min
- 333.7K
- Extra History
A retelling of a West Virginia legend about a slave who became a steel-driver and challenged a steam-drill in a contest. Learn about John Henry's life, death and legacy in this folktale by S.E. Schlosser.
