Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, of Oklahoma, was originally named Wa-Tho-Huk, which meant Bright Path. Him Thorpe lived up to his name as he managed to succeed in almost any athletic event he attempted. He was a natural born athlete and considered on of the greatest in the 20th century. His name is thrown into the conversations with some of the greats like Jesse Owens and Babe Ruth. He continued to succeed in ametuer sports, until his breakaway event in the 1912 Olympics winning multiple medals. He was soon welcomed by the US for his contributions to the success of the nation, also he was a benchmark for the developing in Native American equality. Although, the country in the turmoiled state with the racism and hate that surrounded the white americans, they found a technicality. They stated since he was paid to play ametur baseball that he was to be stripped of his medals. This did not set back his career, as he continued to succeed in playing in the professional baseball league and finishing his career with a .327 batting average, which is very impressive. He also joined what was soon to be the NFL, and with an astonishing career, he was soon too be electing the first president of the league. As his career declined because of age, he found it hard to make money and suffered the hard tragedy of alcoholism. This was not what defined Jim Thorpe, as he was nominated after his death as "The Greatest Athlete for the First Half of the Century". While winning medals in the Olympics, getting inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, and playing multiple sports professionally I think it is safe to say he is an accomplished Native American. He changed the face of how Americans can view Indians, by succeeding in almost everything he did.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe

This site gives basic information about Jim Thorpe. I feel it will be good to give his heritage, and his background to help explain why he was considered an accomplished Native American.

http://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Thorpe_Jim.html

This is Jim Thorpe's biography on ESPN Classic's. It is a site for acclaimed professional athletes and their accomplishments. I feel like this will give me the facts of his accolades throughout his athletic career.

http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/15/redskin-and-all-american-jim-thorpes-malleable-symbolic-significance

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