Lesson Plans

Joe Louis:
America’s Hero…Betrayed

Grades: High School

Subject Area: History, Journalism, Sports

Made Possible By: HBO

Sports history intertwines with world history and the African-American struggle for equal rights in this study guide to the HBO documentary Joe Louis: America’s Hero—Betrayed. Students learn how Louis’s come-back victory over the German Max Schmeling struck a blow against Nazism on the eve of World War II, compare Louis and baseball great Jackie Robinson as champions of the civil rights movement, and explore the concept of heroism that Joe Louis embodied.

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Joe Louis

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Complete Program
Complete Program
Student Activity Sheets
Student Activity Sheets
Poster
Poster
Academic Standards
Academic Standards
Visit the HBO Documentary Website
Visit the HBO Documentary Website
View Scenes from the HBO Documentary
View Scenes from the HBO Documentary