The Legend Of John Henry
John henry was born into a slave
dangerous, but John henry was
family. When he was just a boy ,
brave and strong. So, like many
he had to do the work of a full-
other black men who had once
grown man.He grew so fast that
been slaves , he went to work
sometimes the pants he put on
on the railroad
in the morning were too short by
nightfalll. Soon, he was the
biggest man around a the
strongest, too..
John Henry became a steel
driver – a hammar man. Every
day, he swung his twenty-pound
hammer over and over again .
When the Civil War ended, the
Another man would hold a drill
slavesbecame fre, but life was
bit against arock. Then John
still hard. john Henry needed to
Henry would hit the end of the
find a job. “Who will hire me?”
drill bit with his hammor. He
he wondered.
broke up rocks and dug tunnels
through hills to make a path for
track s.
John Henry lived before there
were cars orairplanes . Railroad
companies wer hiring workers to
The other workers liked John
build tracks all across america.
Henry. He worked Harder and
The work was hard and
faster than any three other men.
The Legend Of John Henry
John Henry had a deep ,
wanted the tunel finished even
booming voice, and the other
faster . The boss said he would
men enjoyed singing work songs
fire the men if they tunnel
with him.
wasn’t done on time.
One day, the railroad tracks ran
then one day, a little man in a
smack into big bend mountain.
fancy suit arrived at the work
Big Bend was so huge that th
camp. He was selling a steam-
railroad could’nt be built around
powered machinne that could
it.A tunnel would have to be
drill throughrock. His machine
built through the mountain
was the size of a locomotive, and
instead. “Don’t worry,” John
it spit fire and smoke into the air.
Henry said. “That ol’mountain’s
My machine can drill faster than
just a big rock, and smashing
any of your workers,” the
through rocks is what I do.
salesman told the boss Most of
the men looked down and shook
their heads. They feared he was
The men worked fast, and John
Henry worked fastest of alll.
They hammered away at Big
Bend mountain. But their boss
wasn’t happy because hee
right. But John Henry spoke up.
“That machine cant beat me!”
he roared. The other men raised
their heads and cheared.
The Legend Of John Henry
Everyone came running to watch
the contest. John henry stood tal
in front of Big Bend Mountain.
He gripped the hamer in his
mighty hands. The salesman
pulled the levers on his machine,
For the first time in his life, John
Henry looked kind of small . Or
maybe the machine just looked
big. But that didn’’t scare John
Henry
and it made an awful nois.
“When my machine wins, you’ll
want to buy it. It will replace all
Whoo! The whistle blew, and the
these
contest began. John Henry
people!” he yelled at the
boss.
groaned as he swung his
hammer into the rock. He heard
the machine groan, too. “A man
John Henry knew he had to beat
is better than a machine,” he
said under his breath.
the machine. If the machine
won, the boss would fire the
men and use the machine to drill
through Big Bend Mountain. But
if John Henry won, the boss
wouldnt want the machine. H’ed
keep paying the men.
John Henry swung his hammer
as quick as lightning. He put all
his strengt into breaking through
the rock . he pushed ahead of
The Legend Of John Henry
the machine and didn’t look
sang a new song as they worked.
back.
It was a song about john Henry,
whoo! The whistle blew again.
the contest was over. John
Henry had hammered through
almost twice as much rock as the
machine. John Henry won!
But the contest was too much
for John Henry. He was to strong
even for his own heart . While
the men were still cheeering, he
sat down against a rock and
died. But he died hap py, with
his hammer in his hand.
The other workers were sad to
lose John Henry. But they where
also proud of him for saving their
jobs. From that day on, they
the steel-driving man.