last minute tribute to black history month
 

I am writing a paper for eng for school about a non famous african american. Not like a MLKJr or a malcolm x. a person with a contribution to american and their race. I thought i would share my paper of Marshall Major Taylor. here it is. Please dont be critical on structure and stuff, im not a John Grisham.it had to be at least 3 pages so its long but worth it!!!!!!!!please read! Major deserves a couple of minutes for his years of greatness!!!!

Confucius once said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Marshall Taylor, like so many other black Americans, faced so many odds just because of their skin color. Marshall Taylor did some great things for the sport of cycling with the support of few people. He set countless records, with racism, jealousy, and segregation being thrown into the spokes of his wheels. His greatness reigned in one of the toughest times for black people: 1890-1910-the height of segregation.

Marshall Taylor was born on November 26, 1878, on the outskirts of Indianapolis, Indiana. He was raised in poverty, close to the city. His first bike was given to him by a friend, on which he got his first job as being a paperboy. He also worked in a bike shop after being a paperboy. He got into some amateur race around where he lived then gradually made his way to the east coast. He then turned pro, being known as the “Colored Sprint Champion of America.” He was working at the bike shop when Louis “Birdie” Munger coached him to multiple victories. Munger was a racing star and a bike manufacturer. He brought him to the hills of Worchester to train. This proved to help him in the later years. Marshall was given several nicknames. One of which was very popular. “Major” Taylor was very common because of his domination on the bike. He got so good that jealousy set in with a lot of the white riders. There is no telling of how many more records he would have broken if the white riders hadn’t played dirty tricks on him. They would crowd him off the track, hem him “pockets,” rough him off the field and curse and threaten him. In one Boston race, a cyclist put him in a choke hold that made him black out before police dragged the man of Major. He was banished from Atlanta races, St. Louis Hotels, which he decided to give up on the southern circuit. Even the American Cycle Racing Association (ACRA) tried to get him banished from the sport of cycling forever. His fame had prevailed. Without the famous Marshall “Major” Taylor, races wouldn’t attract as many crowds if he weren’t there. So, race promoters had to swallow there prejudices and invite him to races. Some of the white people in the stands saw what evil tricks people played on him on the racetrack. Newspapers called these cyclists on it. Not only did this show the people for what the really where, it showed something else. Major became an icon. A symbol of triumph. A person who people looked beneath the skin, to the true sports legend he became. Even with the loss of his mother in 1898, he took the next decade and made cycling history.

One of the many reasons why Major was a sports legend was for the records he set and the accomplishments he made on and off the track. Between 1898 and 1904 he was the fastest bicycle rider in the world. In 1899 he set seven world records (the year after his mother passed away)- In the quarter mile, one-third mile, the half mile, the two thirds mile, the three quarter mile, the mile and the two mile. He did the mile (from a standing start) in one minute and forty-one seconds. That record stood for 28 years. He did the “paced” mile (behind a five mile windbreaker bike) in a minute thirty-one. He also did the mile in a minute twenty-two behind a motorcycle pacer. He won the world championships and sprint champion .He did a race in Madison Square garden for six days, 1,732 miles over the 142 hours of competition. He came in eighth in that race. He was no doubt a sprinter, his dazzling end race sprints, made it obvious that his style of racing was more conducive for shorter races. He won hundreds of races in the United States, as well as abroad. He won many races in Canada, France, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Italy, Denmark, and Australia. He also set up the See-Saw Racing club, which was in response to the exclusively white Zig-Zag team in his neighborhood when he was a kid. Major and other black cyclists set up the club. Major also wrote an autobiography, “The Fastest Man in The World.”

In retrospect, Marshall “Major” Taylor was the best cyclist in the world between 1890 and 1910. He was the best not just for his records, and that he was the fastest cyclist for twenty years, but the way he faced adversity in his riding. For one, he set a lot of his world records in 1899. The year after his mother died. The segregation he faced, the racism of other cyclist that caused them to do bad things that they might not normally do to a white cyclist. White people tried very hard to establish themselves as better than the black race. But when a black man comes out and is noticeably better than every other person in the sport, the worst as well as the best in people come out. In the words of Marshall, “ there is positively no mental, physical or moral attainments too lofty for the Negro to accomplish if granted a fair and equal opportunity.” He sure proved his statement with his amazing cycling that will be infamous forever.

Hmm. Major Taylor eh.

I learned something today that I'm glad I learned....

Thanks Scarpi41

You may want to look up "infamous" before you submit that thing.

You should look up the word "thing"

Very nice paper you deserve an A+ thank's for sharing.

I just started watching the tour and I was wondering if blacks participate in it and have they ever. I work in lung functions and on average blacks generally have better tests.

Thanks for sharing Scarpi! I also think you deserve an A

Major Taylor was invited to the first TdF in 1903, but turned it down for a better paying race.

Here's the definition
"having a reputation of the worst kind."

Edit: Hmm looks like the original post was 5 months ago so no point in trying to edit his essay.

I don't know of any. but if African Americans started cycling, golfing, and playing hockey they would dominate like in such sports as basketball, football, ect.

Why? Certain builds of people excel differently at different things. Such a blanket statement is an injustices to all white and black. I don't think they would excel in cycling, as they haven’t excelled in rowing or swimming either. This is not to say Blacks can't do it. Major Taylor was without question one of the greatest cyclists of his era. I am only warning that to make such blanket statements with no supporting evidence is a terrible mistake.

SIDENOTE:
It is this reverse racism that bothers me more than anything. I boxed when I was younger. I was undefeated in three and a half years of amateur competition but many trainers and fighters at other gyms didn't take me seriously only because I was white. It didn't matter that Rocky Marciano (the greatest fighter ever to grace the ring) was white or that Jack Dempsey, Carmen Basilio or more recently Mickey Ward were all white. The status quo had changed. Eventually this, among other things led me away from the sport that I had loved so dearly.

I agree that blanket statements regarding races and sports are foolish.

Thread hijack.....However, Marciano, "greatest fighter ever to grace the ring" is highly subjective. Especially, considering the corrupt nature of promotion during that era. Its an argueable point that he might have been the greatest heavyweight, let alone the greatest fighter...

It is truly disppointing that you gave up boxing who knows you may have become a word wide champion or could have influenced the boxing industry in some other way. I do take issues with your inferring that this is reverse racism. Although I am not endorsing in no way the way you were treated. One definition of raciscm is an attitude, action or institutional structure which systematically treats an individual or group of individuals differently because of their race. If you believe in that definition few races have that authority to treat another race in that manner.

Where were you when I was in school?

I'd sure like to debate that with you (especially the cycling)! By the way, I thought AA's already played golf! LOL