Tall Tale Tuesday: John Henry
ohn Henry was a very large and powerful Black man, thought to have been born a slave in Alabama, in the 1840’s. He went on to work on the railroads, making a name for himself as the “greatest steel-driver” around. Unfortunately, the owner of the railroad introduces the new steam-powered drivers, leading John Henry to challenge the inventor of the steam-powered driver to his legendary contest: Himself VS. the machine.
John Henry is seen as a working class hero. The theme of man vs. technology is just as relevant today, with so many jobs lost to automation, machines, and computers. John Henry also tells a story about the heart of a man, and what determination can accomplish in the face of daunting odds.
John Henry
as retold by S. E. Schlosser
Now John Henry was a mighty man, yes sir. He was born a slave in the 1840’s but was freed after the war. He went to work as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, don’t ya know. And John Henry was the strongest, the most powerful man working the rails.
John Henry, he would spend his day’s drilling holes by hitting thick steel spikes into rocks with his faithful shaker crouching close to the hole, turning the drill after each mighty blow. There was no one who could match him, though many tried.
Well, the new railroad was moving along right quick, thanks in no little part to the mighty John Henry. But looming right smack in its path was a mighty enemy - the Big Bend Mountain. Now the big bosses at the C&O Railroad decided that they couldn’t go around the mile and a quarter thick mountain. No sir, the men of the C&O were going to go through it - drilling right into the heart of the mountain.
Read the rest of the story.
