Kevin Mumford
“Jack Johnson and the Abolition of White Slavery”
In “Jack Johnson and the abolition of white slavery”, the historian Kevin Mumford discusses the
cultural context surrounding Jack Johnson’s rise to fame as the first African American
heavyweight boxing champion. He argues that Johnson’s victory over Tommy Burns in 1908
challenged the idea that white men were inherently superior to black men, and that it triggered a
backlash from white society. Indeed, Johnson’s relationships with white women challenged the
society’s norms. His personal life intersected with social scarce around race, gender and,
sexuality. Mumford also explores the ways in which Johnson’s character as an extravagant,
confident and unapologetic black man threatened white ideas of masculinity and legitimacy.
Mumford also takes up the concept of “white slavery”, a moral panic that emerges in the 20th
century that portrayed white women as vulnerable to being forced into prostitution especially by
non-white men. The 20th century resulted to be an era when moralists, reformers, and the federal
government invested their resources in ‘rescuing’ white women ‘enslaved’ in prostitution
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Mumford suggests that this fear contributed to the hostility towards Johnson, as he was seen as a
threat to white women’s integrity and the social order. In fact, “Johnson’s sexual predicament
reflected the long-standing paradox of black male sexuality, in which the black figure is both
feared and desired.”
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This quote highlights the role that Johnson’s racial identity played in
shaping the social response whether it was about his victory or personal life choices.
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Kevin Mumford “Jack Johnson and the Abolition of White Slavery, 14
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Mumford “Jack Johnson and the Abolition of White Slavery, 8.
