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John Henry, American Folk Hero

John Henry's Mad. John Henry is an African-American folk hero who was hired as a steel driver for the railroad. Later, the railroad company brought in a steam drill to speed up work on the tunnel, because it could drill faster than any man. John Henry was the strongest, fastest, most powerful man working on the railroad. He went up against the steam drill to prove that the black worker could drill a hole through the rock farther and faster than the drill could. John Henry beat the steam drill and later died of exhaustion. The legend is told in many classic folk songs, and has been the subject of numerous stories, plays, books, and novels. WPA Art by Dan Rico, undated (cropped and cleaned).
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Title:
John Henry, American Folk Hero
Caption:
John Henry's Mad. John Henry is an African-American folk hero who was hired as a steel driver for the railroad. Later, the railroad company brought in a steam drill to speed up work on the tunnel, because it could drill faster than any man. John Henry was the strongest, fastest, most powerful man working on the railroad. He went up against the steam drill to prove that the black worker could drill a hole through the rock farther and faster than the drill could. John Henry beat the steam drill and later died of exhaustion. The legend is told in many classic folk songs, and has been the subject of numerous stories, plays, books, and novels. WPA Art by Dan Rico, undated (cropped and cleaned).
Credit:
Album / Science Source / NYPL/Schomburg Center
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Model: No - Property: No
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Image size:
3911 x 5400 px | 60.4 MB
Print size:
33.1 x 45.7 cm | 13.0 x 18.0 in (300 dpi)
Keywords: